


We Fight For Those Who Can't

by Wishfulthinking1979



Series: Hunting Scum and Villainy [8]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, And in this fic they shall get them, Angst, Angst and Drama, Crime Fighting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Epic Bromance, Firmus Piett Needs a Hug, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Organized Crime, Skywalker Family Drama (Star Wars), Suspense, Who am I kidding? Most of them need hugs, so does Leia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 38,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26830825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wishfulthinking1979/pseuds/Wishfulthinking1979
Summary: Anakin and his men are ready to strike a decisive blow against the trafficking of children in the galaxy. They must plan carefully and place their men tactically as they prepare to move against the most egregious scum in the galaxy. Working off the information they got from Sevan Nilo, Veers and Piett will go undercover together while Anakin prepares to move the fleet on their intel so that they may bring this horrific practice to its knees.
Relationships: Firmus Piett & Anakin Skywalker & Maximilian Veers, Firmus Piett & Maximilian Veers, Leia Organa & Firmus Piett, Leia Organa/Han Solo
Series: Hunting Scum and Villainy [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1845904
Comments: 90
Kudos: 59





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this fic in mind for a while. I like the idea of these guys going after the worst scum in the galaxy. Two of the three of them had terrible childhoods and feel passionately about this. So here it is. It became longer than I anticipated but I needed to do this mission justice.  
> Buckle up. You know me now, if you've read my work--angst abounds especially for this. I assure you that I don't get graphic here as that is not my thing and I will focus far more on how we are going to save these kids and make life better. Because I would love to see that in any universe.  
> So here, in my au, our heroes are going to set out to do just that. No matter the cost to themselves.....

“Well.” Piett took in his friend, scanning him up and down. “That….. is not a look I would have  _ ever _ envisioned for you.”

Maximilian Veers grinned at him, placing his hands on his hips. 

“This is as good a time as any, Firmus, to remind you that you are not the only one who gets to go on undercover missions.”

Piett snorted. “You say that as though I like being out of uniform.”

“All right, that is a fair point. You hate that. However, you hate putting other people in danger  _ more _ than being out of uniform and thus, why you volunteer yourself more often than not.”

_ And. Max knew him exceedingly well indeed. _

“It could also have something to do with the fact that I am more easily overlooked and thus an ideal candidate for covert ops.”

“Only by those who are woefully bad at judging character, Piett. But this mission requires me to be big and imposing so…”

Piett gave him a decidedly cool look.

“I will try to overlook those rather insulting words, General.”

Max laughed. He had not shaved in three days to allow himself to look as scruffy as possible. He was attired in very rough clothing---better suited to someone who lived in shadows and the edges of society. And the thing was---he was right. He was going to try and join a smuggler crew, and they needed someone who looked intimidating.

Piett may know how to take down beings in multiple different ways, but one wouldn’t know that by looking at him. His lack of height and unassuming demeanor was thus a great advantage in many situations, but would not suit for what they were embarking on here. 

The most strange thing at the moment however, was not the General’s wardrobe, but the fact that his usually blonde hair was dyed red. Further, Commander Fox had suggested that he wear special lenses, changing his grey eyes to brilliant blue. 

He looked sufficiently different, and Piett still had to look hard to see his friend under that. 

“Not insulting you, Firmus, and you know it. You are fairly terrible at concealing how much you hate this. Welcome to how I feel when _you’re_ on this end of things.”

_ Touche’ _ .

Veers could no doubt see that on his face.

“And you’re not alone,” the princess agreed with him, coming to stand by Piett and loop her arm in his.

“General,” she continued, “you look positively disgraceful.”

Veers grinned at her. “Thank you, your highness.”

“Could’ve worked with me back in the day,” added Solo, striding into the passenger hold of the Falcon, where they were all congregated. 

“Still could,” Max said with a pointed look at Solo’s rumpled vest and shirt.

The man gave a very good wounded impression, Piett had to give him that. 

“I thought we were past all the personal insults, General,” he said.

“Who told you that?” Max asked, raising an eyebrow and Piett knew it was undignified for a fleet admiral, but he couldn’t help his snort.

The ex smuggler shook his head sadly. “I’ll strive to rise above, General. Regardless, I’m ready when you are.”

Veers was embarking on this mission in order to land on Eriadu with the smugglers and find out their routes as well as try to pick up where they might try to keep the children for this galaxy wide sale.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d be gone and Piett was finding it very hard to bid his oldest and closest friend good-bye on such uncertain terms. The princess could no doubt feel his emotions and she held him firmly--reminding him with her presence that he had someone else he could rely on.

“All right, Solo.” 

The princess’s smuggler was piloting Veers in the Falcon to the surface of Sullust where he would then make his way under the surface of the tempestuous planet and look for employment with the Reinholt cartel as they knew with certainty that they operated through Eriadu. 

Max turned to him (and  _ Force _ it was so strange to look at icey blue eyes rather than the grey he was so familiar with) and held out his hand.

“I’ll be in touch when I can, Firmus. Do try to keep things together without me.”

Piett grasped his friend’s hand. “At this point Ellery can do your job, Max.”

The General raised an eyebrow at him and the princess huffed in exasperation.

“Honestly you two. General, please come back to us safely. And the Admiral is trying to say that he’ll miss you tremendously.”

She moved to embrace Veers, her tiny frame a stark contrast to the tall General.

Max met his eyes over her head. 

_ I will miss you _ , Piett thought at him.  _ Please be safe _ . Aloud he said, “Good hunting, General.”

And Veers smiled at him as the princess stepped back and went to her smuggler for a kiss.

Then he and her highness disembarked and stood together watching as the Falcon lifted neatly off of the deck of the Lady and swept out into the deep velvet of space. 

  
  


*****

Solo kept glancing at him. 

Finally Veers sighed and turned to him fully. “Do you want to just take a moment to adjust to the fact that I look different, Solo?”

The man grinned. “Sorry. But…..kriff it’s so strange. I’d just adjusted to you as…. _ you _ . This is something else.”

“That’s the idea, Solo. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised given that subtlety is not one of your particular strong suits.”

The smuggler snorted. “I like direct and to the point, General. I consider that an asset.”

“Not in this scenario,” Veers clipped, turning back to gaze out the viewport. 

“I wouldn’t have called you as one to go undercover as well,” Solo returned. “But you’ve really thrown yourself into this crusade. And it’s a good one,” he added hastily, “I’m just curious why you became so passionate about it as well.”

Veers thought of Nali. He thought of the freed slaves on Tatooine. He thought of a little boy gasping in the dust of Axxila with a bloody back and no one to defend him. 

“Those reasons are mine,” he answered coolly.

“Fine,” Solo huffed. “Just wondered.”

“No need to take offense, Solo. You know I don’t share things of that nature.”

The man huffed. “Yeah, Leia won’t say why Piett is so committed either. All right, be the strong, stoic types.”

Veers smiled grimly. “ _ Thank _ you, Solo.”

They were quiet for a long while after that until Solo told him they were about 20 minutes from the system.

Veers went back to check his gear one more time (he didn’t have much) and then resumed his position in the co-pilot’s seat. 

“Look, General…..” Solo started, “I’m just trying….”

“I know, Solo,” Veers interrupted. “I don’t discuss a great deal that’s personal. You tend to let us all know what you’re thinking.”

Solo frowned slightly and opened his mouth, but paused when Veers shot him a smile. “Just different people is all I’m saying, Solo.”

The smuggler nodded. “Fair enough.”

They came out of hyperspace over Sullust, and the Corellian skillfully maneuvered his ship toward the surface where the vast mining buildings could be seen.

Solo landed skillfully on a pad and turned to Veers.

“I do say what I think, General. So. You have lots of people on the Lady who would like you back in one piece. And I think you know you have two in particular that place the highest value on your life. Just sayin’.

He held out his hand and Veers gripped it. “Thank you, Solo. I will bear that in mind.”

Then he was exiting to the hot and humid air swirling around. Even in the protected atmosphere of the landing pad, the heat from the lava flows and the moisture from the innumerable lakes was felt.

Veers joined the growing stream of beings from other landing areas as they all headed to the lifts to take them to the vast cities below the surface. Once he had exited to the broad avenues of the civilization he took stock.

It truly was impressive what they had built here. Old lava flows had been incorporated into the foundations for many of the structures. He knew that the light was artificial but it still felt as though sunlight was streaming upon them. There was blue ‘sky’ above and real trees were growing happily down here. Veers was aware that some of the less affluent areas were darker and showed the true ceiling of the mantle above them. It was to those areas he needed to make his way.

Time to start establishing his credentials as a mercenary then. 

****

  
  


He managed to get himself tossed out of three bars in the space of a few hours and he used this as an excuse to head further toward the seedier parts of this settlement. He found two more bars to cause trouble in and allow it to demonstrate his considerable combat skills.

He turned to glare at the large Rodians who had tossed him out of the last place, leaving five beings groaning on the floor.

“Just trying to find some work you overgrown, switflies!” he yelled, and stumped off down the alley, aware of two beings now following him. He paused near what had once been an attempt at a children’s play area and lit a cigarette.

_ “Are you sure about that, Max?” Piett had asked as he packed. “You haven’t had one in a decade….” _

_ “Firmus, the people I’m dealing with get put at ease if I have at least one bad habit. You know that. Recall that you pretended to be a drinker for that mission on Corellia.” _

_ The Admiral sighed. “Yes, but that kind of cover doesn’t destroy my lungs.” _

_ “I don’t intend to be undercover that long or smoke that much, friend of mine.” _

_ “Yes, well, I’m allowed to be concerned about you, General. It’s part of my job actually.” _

_ Veers chuckled. “Show that to me in your job description, Admiral.” _

_ Piett had raised his most Imperial eyebrow at him. “It is  _ **_implied_ ** _ , Max.” _

_ “Right.” _ _  
  
_

The two beings ambled over.

“Got a light, mate?” asked the Bothan with the exceedingly dirty fur. Veers nodded and obliged the being. 

The other, a human male with a huge scar down one side of his face and neck, leaned against the decrepit fence by the struggling grass.

“Couldn’t help but take notice of your little…. _spat_ back there. Looking for work?”

“Yeah,” Veers growled, taking a drag and briefly wondering if Henley could repair whatever he did to his lungs. “But finding it’s kriffing hard around here.”

“Just got to know the right channels, mate,” said the Bothan. “Even here’s a bit too…. _civilized_ like if you take my meaning. You willing to work and not ask questions about it?”

“Absolutely,” said Veers calmly.

“Cause we can always use a strong fella with skills like yours, both for loadin’ and defense,” stated the human. 

“How’s the pay?” he asked, tossing the cigarette to the ground and grinding it with his boot. 

“Enough. You need to prove yourself o’course. Once you do that—— lot’s of opportunities to earn plenty more."

Veers paused as though to consider. “Who’d I be working for then?”

The Bothan smirked, showing yellowed pointed teeth. “Does it matter?”

“Just want to know if my potential employer can actually pay. I’m not workin' for charity.”

“They can pay. Got business in  _ anything _ you can imagine.”

_ Well. He had to start somewhere. Even if they weren’t the Reinharts, it was a step. _

“Give it a go I guess,” Veers said as unconcerned as possible.

***

For the first two weeks, he was mostly given jobs that involved loading crates and guarding caches in various warehouses around the vast settlement. He kept his head down and his mouth shut and he did his jobs well. 

It unfortunately meant that he did not have any time to contact the Lady, but they had known it was a possibility when this started. He knew if Firmus had gone two weeks like this with no word from him, Veers would be ready to send in the entire Herd. He could only hope the Admiral had more restraint than that. 

He was given his wages weekly. He watched what the others did (largely drinking and brothels) so as to learn expected haunts for workers like himself. And finally he had an opportunity at the end of the second week. He checked into an establishment with an hourly rate and, after locking the door to the seedy room and checking for listening devices, he pulled out his concealed comlink.

He waited patiently. Unless he was in the middle of a battle, Piett would answer this. 

“I was almost ready to send the fleet after you,” his friend said without preamble, sounding a little breathless.

“Just came off the bridge then, Admiral?”

He could almost hear the smile.

“Technically I’m supposed to be there now. Scraps is wondering about my bizarre behavior. But that doesn’t matter. What’s your status?”

“Working with one of the cartels, but I don’t know which yet. I have to earn that apparently. I’m hopeful it’s Reinhart, but we’ll see.”

“Still Sullust then?” Piett asked quietly. The Admiral was calm, but Veers knew him very well and could hear the deep undercurrent of concern.

“For now. And Lord Vader…?”

“Getting permission and resources in place on Coruscant in a highly classified meeting with Mon Mothma.”

Veers nodded even though he knew Piett couldn’t see it. 

“All right. I’ll try to ah, distinguish myself soon. See if I can get more delicate assignments. Find out who exactly I’m working for.”

“Good luck,” Piett told him, “And….Max…”

  
“I know, Admiral,” the General said quietly, hearing the unspoken things.  _ Stay safe. Come back to us.  _

“Then I’ll wait to hear from you.”

And Piett cut the connection.

****

Veers got a chance to prove himself toward a promotion two days later. He and two others were supervising the cargo grav sleds as they took illegal blasters out of a warehouse for shipment to the Outer Rim. 

Veers felt more than saw the beings that were dropping around them and they must have had positions on the dark basalt far above them.

“Get down!” he yelled to the man and the Sullustan working with him as blaster fire began raking the area, and he flung himself under a hovering grav sled, drawing his own blaster as he did so.

“Comm for back up!” he yelled at the Sullustan, and the being obeyed as he sprinted back inside the warehouse for cover. 

Veers estimated maybe 25 beings of all kinds, but they all had their blaster rifles in common. It was also possible that law enforcement could show up. He needed to protect the shipment, and, if possible, get out of here without blowing his cover as well. He made a decision, moving swiftly to his feet to knock one of the crates off the moving grav sled. The loader droids continued their job, seemingly oblivious of the blaster fire around them, but then, they had been programmed for very simple processing. 

The crate broke open and Veers was down again near the ramp of the ship. He swiftly holstered his own blaster in favor of picking up two of the much more powerful and very illegal plasma blasters. These were particularly valuable as they were capable of being warm and armed in ten seconds. He listened to the building whine as his colleagues fired from the warehouse. Veers could see that they were becoming surrounded rapidly. He smiled the smile of a hunter. Closer targets then.

He knew the moment the blasters were ready and he rose, one in each hand, and fired at the opposing cartel members--for he was sure that was who their enemies were. 

And  _ Force _ , these blasters were powerful. The kickback was potent and he was grateful for a strenuous workout regimen or he could not have held both weapons. He mowed down seven beings before he had to duck down once more. 

He kept half an eye on the cargo progress. He could see the last crates coming out. 

“Let’s go!” he yelled across at the other two. “I’ll cover you!” 

They looked at him incredulously and then he began firing again, blessing the increasingly ridiculous range challenges he and Piett had been doing recently, because one of them had been firing two blasters at once. 

His coworkers ran for the ship as their enemies dove out of the way of Veers' deadly hands. He waited until they had dragged the last crate aboard. Then he tossed his weapons in and hauled himself onto the already rising ramp.

“Go!” he called. “We’ve got it!”

They swooped out just ahead of the local law enforcement. 

****

Veers found himself regarded with respect now, and two days after this incident he was called to the ‘office’. 

“Did us quite the favor,” said the man behind the desk. He was unremarkable--a balding man with a bit of a paunch. But his eyes--they were sharp---they type of eyes that didn’t miss things.

“So. We reward individuals like yourself for such...loyalty and quick thinking. Welcome more officially to the Reinholt family, Mr. Stryker.”

Veers heart quickened. 

“I’m the manager for the Sullust operations. However, I’ve been informed that more beings with the type of skill sets you have displayed are needed for our Eriadu runs. Ready to ship out of here?”   
  


_ He needed to contact Piett and Vader. _

“Absolutely,” Veers replied coolly. 

“Excellent. You leave in two days. See Yvonne out front and she’ll have your new pay packet.”

Veers did as ordered, mind whirling. He needed to find out what the Eriadu run was in order to get those coordinates to Piett. He needed to let them know…

He went for a walk and found the ratty former ‘park’. He lit a cigarette as though that was his purpose in coming here and then thumbed his comlink.

“Piett.”

“Firmus. I need you to come here. Immediately. I’ll have information to give you.”

He ran over the Admiral as Piett tried to ask questions. “No time. They ship me out in two days. Get here Piett. Find a bar called _You’ll Wish You Hadn’t_.”

Piett snorted over their connection. “Will I?” 

Veers smiled. “Possibly. Be there in 18 hours, Firmus.”

“Copy that, General.”

He drew in more smoke and pondered as he pocketed the comlink. He needed to break into that office and make a copy of the Eriadu routes they were using. It was critical information both for further undercover plans and for eventually getting the New Republic fleet involved. 

He threw the cigarette to the ground. One thing at a time. 

  
  


****

As it turned out, it was easier than he had anticipated to get into the office. He’d chatted up Yvonne a little and she had simpered and smiled, appreciating the attention of a younger man (she was at least 7 years older) while he watched where she put things in the desk and how she accessed her console. 

He had been given a number of items in his kit before he went undercover. One was a black market code cylinder that Fox himself had worked on, and according to the clone commander, it should work for most consoles. 

Veers had managed to bypass the lock on the door with relative ease. Once they had begun these missions, both he and Piett had taken instruction from members of their covert ops teams on such skills. 

He didn’t bother risking the inner office of the manager. It was too important that he remain in good standing with these people. He plugged into Yvonne’s console and copied all of her files relating to ‘shipping’. 

Then, he pocketed the code cylinder and made sure everything was as it had been before he entered. 

He kept an ear out for anyone sounding suspicious the next day as he worked, guarding the beings who were loading one of their bigger vessels which he would be on this very evening. Nothing seemed out of order and the manager nodded to him in satisfaction as Veers patrolled the area. 

When he was done, he moved to the dive bar he had told Piett about, hoping that the Admiral had found it with relative ease.

And he had. 

He would know that spine anywhere even though Piett was slumping against the counter, looking for all the world like a man utterly bored with life. 

He wasn’t attired as scruffily as Veers, but his blaster was ready on his thigh and his hazel eyes flitted to the mirror over the back of the bar as he checked the entrance.

Veers slid onto the stool next to him and tapped the counter to get the one of the bar droid’s attention. 

“Still looking a little too clean for this area, Piett,” he said softly out of the side of his mouth. 

His friend didn’t look at him, but the corner of his mouth quirked. “I had to land in a more reputable part of the city. This is the compromise,” he returned quietly, taking a sip and making a face. “You all right, Max?”

“I’m fine, Firmus,” he responded, glad to be next to his friend once more for however short a time it may be. 

Piett nodded slightly, and gave a very small smile to the counter.

“Is our commander here as well?” Veers asked, placing his order.

“Yes. Waiting for a meet point.”

“All right. I gave you a location for us to meet on the code cylinder…” he was just reaching for it, when he glanced in the mirror and realized with a chill that he recognized the faces just entering the bar.

“Oh  _ kriff _ .”

“What?” breathed Piett, also taking a swift look in the mirror.

“I work with them. I’m sitting right by you…”

“Hit me,” the Admiral said quietly, and urgently. 

“Firmus….”

“Hit me, Veers. I’m dressed too nicely for here…”

Apologizing to his friend in his head, Veers swung hard and convincingly, sending Piett sprawling to the floor.

“Think you’re better than us, do you?” he snarled and dove for the Admiral. Piett’s eyes went wide in genuine surprise for a moment, and then his training was present and he kicked out at the General, catching him quite solidly in the ribs. 

_ Damn. Nice one, Piett. _

His colleagues were exclaiming behind him as he rolled on the dirty floor (best to not think about it) with his friend and managed to slip the code cylinder into Piett’s hand. Then his co workers were pulling him off of the smaller man.

“Hey, mate, it’s not worth it--we don’t need the attention.”

“He comes in here and insults hard working beings…” Veers growled, lunging again, and appreciating Piett backing up as though in fear. “That’s right you little bastard…”

The Admiral met his eyes and his hazel ones sparked for a quick second in amusement.

“Stryker, come on, you already took him down, calm down.”

“Get out,” the General clipped, and Piett scrambled to his feet and hastened out of the establishment. 

The beings he worked with all laughed and clapped him on the back, and he tried to play the part of the offended smuggler who enjoyed flexing his muscle. It seemed to have done the trick, but he had a very short window of time to meet up with Piett and Lord Vader now. He hoped he could slip away soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are made to bring Piett in to join Veers. Numerous people are not happy with that decision, but the Admiral has never left Veers without back up. He doesn't intend to start now.

Piett slid the code cylinder from Veers into his pocket and touched his face carefully. Well. He had told the General to do it, and they had needed it to be as real as possible. He would need a bacta shot or two for the bruising developing along his cheek and eye. He hurried out of the area, and found his commander loitering uncomfortably in a plaza with a fountain made of basalt at its center.

“I made contact with Veers, sir. We need to look at the code cylinder he…”

His commander grasped his arm firmly, and tugged him toward an alley for more privacy. 

“What the  _ hell _ ,” he hissed, “happened to your face? I thought we were keeping a low profile!” 

_ Well that was part of the low profile unfortunately... _

“Yes, my Lord. Some of his ‘colleagues’ entered the bar. To maintain the General’s cover and keep awkward questions from occurring, I suggested he hit me.”

“ _ Force _ , Piett.”   
  


“It needed to be real, sir. I’ll be fine. I gave as good as I got.” He chuckled. “And it gave Veers the opportunity to give me the cylinder.”

His Lordship shook his head. “You continue to remind me just how resilient you are, Admiral. If slightly... _ reckless _ .”

_ Really? This from Anakin Skywalker? _

His ex Sith commander grinned. “I’m only saying, Piett, that it does indeed seem more like a plan I may have made with…” He stopped and Piett knew exactly what he’d been about to say.

“Quite so, sir,” he said sympathetic to the pain evident on Lord Vader’s countenance. “Regardless, some bacta will take care of it, and we need to reach the location that Veers gave us. He doesn’t have much time.”

“Very well,” his commander agreed, and both of them returned to the freighter to get the location off of the cylinder before hurrying to the seedy hotel Veers suggested.

“Won’t this be slightly suspicious?” Piett asked quietly, gazing in distaste around the shabby lobby.

“Indeed, Admiral. If only we had some way of getting the manager to ignore our presence.”

_ No mistaking the dripping mockery in that tone. His Lordship could be rather insufferable at times…. _

Piett favored his commander with a decidedly cool look as the man waved his hand slightly and the large, greasy man behind the concierge desk, returned to reading something on his battered datapad.

His Lordship returned Piett’s gaze with that particular eyebrow raise of satisfaction with himself, and they proceeded down a corridor with flickering lights to the battered door with the number Veers had indicated. 

Lord Vader opened it with the Force (and Piett just wasn’t surprised anymore) and they moved inside quickly as the man standing by the dirty window turned to look at them. 

“My Lord. Admiral.”

Kriff it was so odd to see Max like this. After over a month with the cartel, he was very much looking the part he was playing. And yet, his friend was present as well. Quite present as he took the few strides needed to reach them, looking apologetic.

“Firmus...I’m so sorry.”   
  


“Didn’t hold back I see, General,” said their commander dryly.

“I…”

“I ordered him to do it, my Lord,” Piett said mildly, and his friend gave him an exceedingly skeptical look.

“Don’t pull the ‘fleet Admiral’ business with me, Firmus….”   
  


“ ‘Little bastard’ “? Piett asked him with raised eyebrow. 

Max snorted. “That was for effect and you know it. I  _ saw _ you nearly smile….!” 

“Gentlemen.”

Piett straightened immediately at the tone. He missed bantering with the General, but they had urgent matters to attend to. 

“Sorry, my Lord,” Piett told him, and he could have sworn he saw the man bury a slight smile at the two of them. His Lordship pulled out the small portable holopad and Piett plugged in the code cylinder. 

Veers took it and manipulated things to bring up what he was looking for.

“There, my Lord. Three routes for Eriadu. My understanding is that this is the main smuggling route the Reinholt cartel use for most of their goods. This is the know route between there and Sullust as you know. And this one,” he zoomed in on the last glowing line.

“This one is the secret route. It’s dangerous due to the proximity to this old mine field----pre dates the Clone Wars. But I would suspect this is the one we’re most interested in. I will try to contact you once I have some idea of where they operate on Eriadu.”

“We had intended to pull you out after that, General,” said Lord Vader. “I sense that is not what you would advise now.”

Piett stared steadily at his friend. The longer he stayed under cover the more dangerous it was. However, he and his commander had hashed out further plans.

“No, my Lord. We all know how critical things are now. I think I will benefit this effort more if I stay with the group as I am.”

The ex-Sith nodded. “I do agree. Things are moving into place for the main assault. We need to find out the exact dates of this abominable ‘sale’. And as you say, we need the location. The plan is to have myself, Luke, Leia, and the main landing force apprehend the buyers as we would like to capture as many as possible alive to stand trial and to track down more of such slavers. Commander Fox and the 501st intend to join you and seek to free and protect the children. That is your primary objective---finding them. Which means, you will need help.”

Veers raised his eyebrows. “How will we achieve that, my Lord?”   
  


“Well,” Piett interposed at this point, “I’m sure you could make sure that the cartel finds itself in need of a pilot. Say if one had a sad…... _accident_? And you happened to find a replacement in searching on Sullust?”

Max stared at him a moment, and the Admiral saw the moment that understanding dawned. 

“My Lord…” he turned to their leader instead of Piett. “I would respectfully point out that the Admiral has managed to place himself in dangerous positions enough recently, and…”

“So it’s your turn instead, Veers, is that it?” Piett interrupted. “We are  _ all _ in this, friend of mine. I can help here.”

“You can also help on the bridge of the Lady!” Max returned vehemently. 

“This is true, General,” said Lord Vader calmly. “However Piett and I are agreed it would be good to have him watching your back. You work exceedingly well together---far more effectively than if we sent in someone you are not familiar with.”

And Piett watched the warring emotions on his friend’s face. 

“I….do agree there, sir of course, but…” he sighed and turned to face the Admiral. “It would be nice if you weren’t in imminent peril, Firmus, do you think you could manage that?”

Piett smiled. “I will endeavor, Max. I’ll have you, after all. And you’re not magically immune from harm, General.”

Veers was silent for a moment and Piett realized that his friend was taking this very seriously. “I do know that, Admiral. But….I also know  _ you _ . And…..we’re dealing with children here. With respect, is this a position you’re ready to be in?”

Piett heard all the unspoken concerns (Nali. Peter. Any of the children they had encountered) and appreciated his friend anew for caring about this. Veers knew just how deeply this affected the Admiral. 

“Thank you, Max,” he said quietly. “Yes. And yes, I recall that I am not doing this by myself, before you raise that concern.”

Lord Vader nodded. “All right then. General--good luck. We will wait to hear from you before Piett gets in place.” He held out his hand and Veers shook it. 

“I’ll see you soon, Max,” Piett told him, and the General took his hand as well. 

“Get that eye repaired before your princess sees it and I catch the nine hells.”

Piett snorted.  _ But he had a point _ . 

“I will. Be safe.”

  
  
  


***

It took another three weeks before Veers was able to contact them. But he was ready. Piett needed to get in place.

Anakin came to him on the bridge, and the Admiral was developing a remarkably good sixth sense because he turned as his commander strode toward him down the walkway and his first words were, “He’s ready for me then, sir?”

Anakin raised an eyebrow at him as they moved toward their familiar location by the viewports. “He is. I must admit to wondering how you knew that, Piett.”

“You….had a very purposeful stride, my Lord.”

He angled a mock offended look at his Admiral. “I  _ always _ have a purposeful stride, Piett.”

He should have known that his officer had been with him far too long to be shaken by that. 

“Of course, my Lord,” Piett said with an utterly bland face, but a tone that conveyed worlds of meaning. “But this was the purposeful stride that means you have news.”

“You cannot possibly differentiate between the styles of my movement, Admiral.”

It was Piett’s turn to give him a look--one specially reserved by Admirals for damn fool ensigns who should really shut the kriff up. 

“I have had the  _ privilege _ of working with you for some time now, my Lord. I know your walk. You aren’t killing anyone on the bridge these days, and you are not here to relieve me of duty….”

“Don’t be so sure of that, Piett,” Anakin murmured, amused in spite of himself. 

“You’re not,” Piett continued serenely and if they weren't on the bridge, Anakin would have grinned because he hadn’t had pushback like this from a friend since…..Obi-Wan. 

It still hurt like nine hells to think about that. But it was easier than it had been, and part of that was due to the remarkable man at his side who had remained stalwart and loyal even when Anakin had given him every reason not to be. 

“We aren’t in combat and you’re not leaving the ship anytime soon….”

“Those reasons do not have a certain walk with them.”

Piett was utterly confident in demeanor and in his signature in the Force. Well son of a Hutt. His Admiral really must have a way to tell.

“I think you will find they do,” Piett told him mildly, though the corner of his mouth revealed to Anakin that his Admiral was amused as well. “So. It’s news and that’s the only one so important as to bring here.”

“Would you like to join our secret ops forces, Piett? Since you are so very good at  _ observing _ ?”

The Admiral couldn’t help the soft snort. “No thank you, my Lord. These missions take me off the ship enough, and I don’t like leaving the Lady that much.”

A flash of color on the Admiral’s data pad.

“What does the sherbet shade mean, Admiral?”

As the Lady actually spoke to Anakin, he wasn’t familiar with all the colors she used to communicate with her Admiral.

Piett allowed himself a little smile and a glance upward. “She is… pleased at the sentiment I believe, my Lord.”

<I am, she told Anakin. But you are sending him away again, aren’t you?>

He chose to respond to Piett first. “Well. I’m sorry that we’ll be separating you once more, but you need to be ready to depart in three hours.”

Piett nodded. “I’ll have Captain Roberts finish my shift, sir.”

“Then I’ll see you in the bay, Admiral.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

Anakin turned and walked back toward the atrium, bringing his attention back to the Lady. He could feel her displeasure.

<I do not like how often my Admiral leaves me, she stated, and if she had a body, she would have crossed her arms.>

<There is much work to be done in the galaxy, Lady, Anakin told her. You know that.>

<I do, she responded. But it makes my primary directive very difficult.>

And he knew that she considered her primary directive to keep her Admiral safe. In her calculations this meant the same as keeping her crew safe. He was still trying to get her to delineate the two. 

<Lady….you will be joining us on this mission eventually. Your Admiral must help get things in place first.>

<Why must it be him? She asked.>

Anakin considered.

<First, Lady because he is very good at it. But mostly….because he wishes it.>

<If she could sigh, she would have. My Admiral would right all injustice if he could, she said, and Anakin could hear her affection.>

<So would you, Lady, he said.>

<Thank you, Dark One. I would not understand the concept of justice however, if not for him. And you. So. We must be sure to bring him assistance the second he needs it.>

Anakin smiled. <Yes. We will.>

  
  


****

Scraps was deeply unhappy. Piett may not be a Jedi, but he was reasonably good at reading people. And the Lieutenant in charge of his security detail was not a happy man.

He was watching Piett pack his duffel and was also clearly struggling with seeing his Admiral clad in something other than his uniform.

“Spit it out, Scraps,” Piett told him, snagging some of his tea and packing it, because….well because. 

“Sir. I’ve not dealt with you on a mission of this nature before….”

“Well quite, Lieutenant,” Piett said with a wry smile. “I didn’t have a security detail in existence last time I did this. Not that you could have come then anyway.”

The young man shifted unhappily. “Admiral…..permission to speak freely sir?”

He sighed internally. “Go ahead, Lieutenant.”

“Sir….I don’t like being unable to have your back, Admiral.”

Piett paused and looked at the leader of his detail. Scraps’ sincere blue eyes held his. 

“You will though, Lieutenant. My understanding is that you will be joining Commander Fox and his men.”

“Yes, sir, but that is quite different than….” He stopped and sighed. “Sir, I’m requesting permission to join you. Just me so as to maintain cover.”

Piett was touched. 

“Lieutenant. I deeply appreciate that. But I cannot let you do so. And I will not be on my own completely. You are aware, I believe, that General Veers is on special assignment.”

“Yes sir.”

“I am joining him on that assignment.”

Comprehension dawned on Scraps’ face.

“Well...that’s good, sir, but I would still like to respectfully inform you that I really hate it.”

Piett laughed. “Noted, Lieutenant Scraps.”

He hefted his duffel and moved closer to the man to hold out his hand.

“I am depending on you to show up with the cavalry when we call for it, Scraps.”

The younger man shook his hand firmly. “Of course sir. And Admiral….”

Piett paused.

Scraps was clearly warring with what to say.

“Just...safe stars, sir.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.”

He walked to the bay, aware that he would have at least one more person he needed to say good bye to.

He found the battered little vessel they had commandeered for this mission and he boarded it, nodding to the deck technicians.

She was waiting for him in the cockpit. 

“Hello, my dear,” he said mildly as she rose from her perch on the co-pilot’s seat.

They had already spoken extensively about the roles they were soon to play for this endeavor and there was not much more left to be said.

She came to him and wrapped her arms around him. “You know that I would have preferred us to be fighting this side by side,” she said as he returned her gesture, pressing her close.

_ And oh yes. She had laid out a very compelling and passionate case for that. Her brother and her Father had nearly been swayed. But much as he loved her, he was not leaving Veers to fight this on his own.  _

“I do know that, my dear. And I look forward to other situations where we will do just that. But you know I need to do this.”

She sighed into his jacket. “I do know that. So. I will meet you out there. I wish I could tell you to be safe, but I know that is not how this works. And you are going to have to be all right with the fact that I might be keeping contact with you.”

He smiled. “I think I can manage to be all right with that, dear girl. You may recall that you are also going into dangerous circumstances. I would appreciate knowing you are safe.”

She nodded and pulled back. 

“Then, dearest Admiral, I will see you soon.”

He kissed her head. “I look forward to it.”

She turned and moved out of the cockpit, passing a much taller figure with a calm nod.

His princess and her Father went through times where it was difficult to interact, and this happened to be one of them, unfortunately. He could see the regret on his Lordship’s face as he half turned to watch his daughter depart. 

“Any last minute attempts to persuade you not to do this?” he asked, turning back to Piett’s understanding gaze. 

“Not really, my Lord,” he replied simply. 

His commander nodded. “She has….experienced loss far too often. I wish that…..” He stopped and Piett waited as the grey Jedi worked through his emotions and thoughts. He clearly came to a decision.

“I have been the cause of much loss to my daughter, Piett. You know that, better than almost anyone else living. You also know that I feel….strongly about what we are seeking to do in our endeavors with eliminating such appalling crimes in a galaxy now ruled by the New Republic.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Piett agreed, wondering where this was going. 

Those intense blue eyes met his with utmost sincerity.

“I say this, Piett, because I know you believe this as strongly as I do. However, to be very direct, I do not wish my daughter to lose someone else dear to her. You are her Admiral far more than mine, I think.”

Piett could feel the flush on his neck. “My Lord, I would never…”

“I do not mean that you are somehow disloyal, Piett. No. I mean...oh _damn_ , we both know she wishes you were her father.”

Piett heard the pain there and saw once again (as he did more often these days) the regret of Anakin Skywalker. 

“I…..am sorry, my Lord.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Admiral. Given everything, I am grateful she speaks to me at all.” He sighed and rubbed a durasteel hand over the back of his neck. 

“I suppose in my clumsy way, I am also trying to say, be careful, because….you are one of my only friends and I have lost too many of those over the years as well.”

“My Lord. I cannot tell you how many times I have wished to be able to heal the wounds your family bears. You know I love your daughter very much. But….you are my friend as well. I hope you do not doubt that.”

He smiled slightly as his commander regarded him seriously. “And if you had told me, my Lord, that I would be saying those words three years ago, I would have said you needed to be airlocked.”

He was rewarded with a genuine smile in return from his Lordship. 

“Thank you, Piett. Then...the Force be with you. I will be checking in with you periodically.”

“I shall have two Skywalkers in my head then at random times.” He gave his commander a wry look. “It is a miracle I’m still sane my Lord.”

“You work for me, Admiral. I think you are one of the few people who believe you are sane at all, given that.”

Piett snorted a laugh. “Thank you for that, sir. I hope to see you soon.”

His commander nodded and left. 

Piett started up the ship. He had a criminal organization to join.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piett arrives on Sullust and Veers is in for a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a great deal of both fun and pain in exploring this part of Piett. I mentioned that this story is going to be longer than I had initially thought. That is because these characters keep giving me excellent things they would like me to deal with. So who am I to deny them that? :)

Veers walked casually in the seedier areas of the Sullustan city with some co workers, very gradually steering them all toward a particular landing pad near a cantina they frequented when on Sullust. 

Most of them had already had plenty to drink at the last place, and were chatting freely amongst themselves.

“Didja hear about Nyllust?”

Murmurs and interest.

“Clumsy kriffer fell last night and broke half his bones.”

_ Well. He would have. Veers had bumped him over rather deliberately to fall two stories. _

“I try not to….walk too close...to edges when I’m plastered.”

“You’re doing it right now.”

“Oh. Yeah. Heh.”

“What’re we gonna do about a pilot then?”

“There’s always beings lookin’ for work,” Veers said calmly, “don’t get your blasters in a twist, Hepner.”

“Oh, are we going to the cantina then?” asked another looking around them finally. 

“We could go somewhere else,” Veers commented offhandedly.

“Nah, we’re here.”

They had to pass through the small landing pad area to get to this particular drinking establishment. Numerous beings were passing to and fro. Veers was aware that this was where many small illegal dealings were carried out. No one met anyone’s eyes very deliberately when they passed through. Garbage was piled along the edges of the street and the Sullustan version of rats (they had six legs and three eyes) were skittering around looking for scraps or gnawing on the remains of their dead brethren. 

Veers had planned this carefully. The suggestion to get a new pilot should not come from him. He would just guide things along. As they neared the agreed landing pad, angry tenor tones could be heard and he spotted a familiar figure, half covered in grime, smacking the underside of his battered ship with a hydrospanner.

“....no more than a flamin’ heap a’ bantha poodoo. Kriffing hell, now what….?”

Veers blinked. Was that….  _ Piett _ ?

As his compatriots chuckled at his friend’s angry display the General glanced around for another speaker. Because surely those broad, lilting tones hadn’t come from his very polished, and oh so cultured friend’s mouth. 

“What seems to be the problem, mate?” asked the scarred human Veers worked with.

Piett whipped around with a snarl, gesturing back at his ship.

“The problem,  _ mate _ ,” he growled in response, “is that there heap a’ garbage is ma only way off o’ this Force forsaken rock, and I dinna have the credits to get ‘er repaired.”

_ Son. Of. A. Hutt. _

Veers had heard Piett slip into his Axxilan accent only twice in knowing him. And both times it had been very brief and Piett hadn’t been conscious of doing it. The Admiral had worked very hard to lose his natural inflection when he joined the Imperial forces. His supreme control almost never had it slip from its elegant Core sound. 

But this….this was Piett giving free reign as he raged about his broken vessel.

“Well,” Veers said, when he had recovered somewhat from that stunning sound. “Not our problem I’m afraid. C’mon gents…”

“Hey...but, wait. Stryker, we need a pilot.”

“ _ Are _ you a pilot?” Veers asked scornfully, looking his filthy friend up and down. 

“Am I a….” Piett paused and placed his hands on his hips, glaring furiously, and  _ kriff _ Veers had to keep it together. 

_ His friend was brilliant. Stars, his performance was very compelling. _

“Well, clearly you’re not much of a mechanic,” Veers informed him with a nasty smirk.

“Listen, ya superior, son of a….”

“Hey, Stryker, let’s maybe not insult our potential solution here, hey?” said the dirty furred Bothan, putting a paw to Veers’ chest. 

“You interested in interviewing for a piloting job then, friend?” asked his scarred colleague.

“Would I have ta work wi’ him?” Piett asked, curling his lip contemptuously, and oh yes, Veers had seen that expression a few times, though never directed at himself.

_ Firmus, you marvellous bastard. _

“I’m sure Stryker here can be civil, especially if you’re a decent pilot.”

“I’m more than decent and I’d challenge any one o’ ye….”

“Ok, yeah, let’s take a step back,” said the Bothan, moving toward Piett in a conciliatory manner. “Let’s get a drink, yeah? Talk it over? Then you could maybe give us a demonstration?”

The Admiral glared at all of them, pondering this offer. 

“Seein’ as I have no other options at tha moment… fine.”

They waited as Piett stomped up the lowered landing ramp to retrieve a duffel and then he smacked at the control panel to watch it rise with a rusty groan. 

He’d donned a dark high necked jumper, and his hair was quite curly from both the humidity of the environment and his exertions in his ship. Veers was suddenly struck with the thought that he was seeing his friend as he might have years ago if they had known each other prior to their Imperial service. 

All in all a far cry from the well heeled Fleet Admiral he knew. 

They reached the cantina and Hepner found them a booth while Veers and the Bothan grabbed a round from the hugely fat Togruta behind the counter. 

Veers managed it so he sat across from Piett and there were a few minutes as everyone drank sub par beer. 

“So…..” Hepner said, putting down his glass. “Outer Rimmer then?”

“Problem far ya?” Piett shot immediately, apparently playing the part of fiery and touchy bastard to the core.

“Force no, calm down mate. What’s yer name anyway?”

“Shaw. Alexei Shaw. Go by ‘Alex’” the Admiral responded. 

“Right then, Shaw. Meet us here tomorrow morning and we’ll have a ship you can take us up in.”

“And  _ if _ you’re any good,” said Veers skeptically, “you can be taken on in a trial period.”

Piett took a long pull and slammed the glass down. 

“What’s yer name then? I missed it under all tha ego ye wer projectin’.”

_ Force. They were doing well in establishing animosity. _

“I’m Max Stryker,” Veers told him coolly. “And I’m not as worried about finding a pilot as my friends, here. Your kind are as easy to find as the rats outside.”

Piett snorted. “Ma  _ kind _ are not so easy, Stryker. If ye kin find another pilot qualified on both light an’ heavy freighters, as well as skiffs an’ transports, by all manes, do so.”

“Stryker,” hissed another man. 

Veers waved a dismissive hand and rose. 

“If he’s worth it, he can show us tomorrow. I’m tired. The rest of you lot do what you want.”

He made his way back out into the street. The simulated sun was setting and he strolled calmly, taking his time to create a very circuitous route to check that he wasn’t being followed, pausing to have a cigarette at one point and watch the passing populace. When he was confident that no one was watching him, he back tracked and waited in the shadows by the shabby little ship Piett had brought.

The Admiral had also taken his time, and Veers had been there 45 minutes before his friend showed up to lower the ramp--now miraculously silent as it lowered. Piett did not say anything as they boarded swiftly and he secured the ship.

“All right,” he sighed. “We can speak freely.” He paused, realizing that Veers was standing with crossed arms and raised expectant eyebrows. “What?”

“What, he says. You...Firmus. I’ve never heard you use your natural accent like that. Ever. And you spring that on me.  _ Force _ .”

He grinned broadly at his friend. Piett gave him a slight smile and he was a little flushed.   
  


“I….this mission is too important. So it helps me to ah….be something very far from Darth Vader’s Fleet Admiral. Keep beings from making that association. Tell me you weren’t actually thinking about laughing at one point.”

Piett placed his hands on his hips and looked at him accusingly. 

“Not at your accent, Piett. But stars, friend of mine. You missed a calling in acting.” He shook his head, smiling. 

“Well. We don’t want them thinking you were the one who leapt for the convenient pilot.”

“No danger of that,” the General chuckled. “But we should look like we at least grow into a working relationship. Give us a reason to be able to talk without looking suspicious.”

“Oh agreed,” the Admiral said. “So, Max. How are you? And what have you found?”

They sat in the pilot’s chair and the navigator’s seat respectively.

“I’m fine, Firmus. So very ready to burn these clothes and make a vow not to wear anything but the uniform ever again, but otherwise all right.”

Piett smiled. “I do understand. Any ideas where they keep the little ones?”

“I think that I was on assignment near the location of the sale. Thus, why I wanted you out here. No, I don’t know yet where they are kept. Or if they are even on planet at this point. However, I would imagine that they would be brought close near to the time of the sale. And that is the real news. I know when it is.”

His friend sat up straighter and ran a hand through his hair (Piett found curly hair undignified. It amused Veers no end as he didn’t think so, but it was a little thing that the Admiral was sensitive about.)

“Well we need to get that information to Lord Vader immediately!”

“Agreed, but I only just found out this morning and was already en route to get  _ you _ , so…”

“Comm from here, Veers. How much time do we have then?”

“A month.”

“Kriff.”

“Yes, it’s a tall order, but if you’re here too, we have a better chance at locating where they keep the children.”

He flicked on his special comlink and got his Lordship.

“General. What news?”

Piett sat and watched him, doing his best not to fiddle with flattening his hair.

“The Admiral is with me, my Lord. We are in position to work together on finding the children. More importantly, however, you should know that the sale is to take place in a month’s time.”

A pause.

“We have some urgency then, Veers.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Very good, General, I shall make plans on this end. Good luck.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The two men gazed at each other for a moment when the comm went silent, and Veers felt a wash of gratitude at seeing his friend once more despite the knife edge of circumstances they found themselves in.

“This has to be right,” Piett said suddenly, looking down at his hands. “We can’t make any mistakes with this one.”

“I know,” Veers responded quietly. “It’s why I didn’t kick up more of a fuss when you and Lord Vader suggested that it be you to join me.”

They were quiet again and then Piett looked up once more. “We’re both clear that….that while we will endeavor to have each other’s backs, it cannot be at the expense of the children?”

_ Piett could be very good with the heavy and hard hitting questions. _

Veers thought once more, of all he would give to have Zev back again. He could thus understand the pain of millions of parents around the galaxy, who would give anything to have their little ones returned.

“Yes,” Veers said. Hazel eyes met grey ones in silent understanding. 

“All right,” Piett said after a beat, “I’ll sleep on the ship…”

“May I ask you something?” Veers interrupted, deciding now was as good a time as any. The reality was he may not get another opportunity.

His friend, who was in the act of standing, paused and leaned on the back of the pilot’s chair.

“Of course.”

“When did you decide to lose your accent?”

The tiniest hesitation before Piett waved a careless hand. “When I joined the Imperial fleet.”

_ As Veers had noted, his friend was a very good actor indeed. _

“Yes, but when precisely? Perhaps I should be more specific. What caused you to decide to do that?”

“Veers…” Piett sighed tiredly. “There are numerous Ozzels in the galaxy. I got tired of dealing with them and decided to try and take some of the stresses out of my life that arose from the accent.”

The General looked steadily at him.

“Still not the answer, Piett.”

“Why does it matter, Max?”

“Because I’m your friend and I’d like to know. Because you changed something quite profound about yourself. You must have had quite a strong reason to do so.” He was unrelenting in his gaze.

The Admiral looked a little uncertain and then sad. 

“You can guess, Max. I know that’s why you’re pushing. You want me to say it? I’m no stranger to beat downs for numerous reasons. How we met was far from the first time. * I don’t particularly enjoy them. So. I changed my sound. And it helped.”

_ Yes, Veers had been rather afraid that was the reason. _

“Look, before you get too sympathetic about it, Veers, bear in mind that…...it also has connotations with a life and a planet I’d rather not think about too often. So, really, it helps to sound Core world for many reasons.”

“I like it,” Veers told him calmly. “Suits you.”

And Piett looked as though he’d run into a bulkhead, so much  _ pain _ in those eyes. 

“Max…..I can’t….right now. Oh  _ damn _ it,” Piett whispered piteously, “why couldn’t I have known you from the beginning? No one else has  _ ever… _ .” 

He stopped again. Veers rose and came to stand beside his friend, and get an arm over his shoulders.

  
“I’m sorry, Firmus. But it’s also yet another prejudice you overcame to get where you are. And I like knowing these things about my closest friend. You should know by now, I  _ want _ to help you carry these burdens. That’s how this friendship thing works.”

Piett managed a small quirk of the mouth. “Your ‘friendship thing’ is pretty unique, Veers. You go far above and beyond most people’s idea of the obligations of friendship.”   
  


“Maybe because it’s not obligation. Do you see it as obligation when we honor Myra and….and Zev every year?”

“Not at all,” the Admiral answered indignantly and Veers smiled. 

“Precisely. So, all I am saying is----if you let the accent slip in once in a while, I think you’ll find a far different reception to that now, certainly on the Lady, with us.”   
  


Piett was quiet for a long moment. 

Then he nodded to himself. “Thank you, Max. I hope you know just how invaluable you are in my life.” He looked up at Veers’ face.

“So let’s endeavor to come out of this by saving the children  _ and _ staying alive.”

“Excellent plan, Admiral. And I look forward to this flying demonstration tomorrow. As well as more of you being  _ you _ .”

He grinned as he moved out of the cockpit toward the boarding ramp. 

He was encouraged when his friend chuckled. 

“Be careful what you wish for, Veers.”

  
  


*****

Accordingly the next morning Piett stepped off of his broken ship to find Veers and his contingent waiting.

Piett had had a chance to clean himself up a bit though he had made the executive decision to allow his beard to come in. Max was going for the perpetual five o’ clock shadow he saw.  _ Well, whatever both of them could do to look as unlike clean cut military men as possible. _

“A’ right then,” he said, his tongue embracing the natural sounds of his youth. “Whar’s this ship o’ yours?”

The man who was about his height with a long scar on his face, gestured. “We’re up a mile or so. You had breakfast, Shaw?”

He’d had a ration bar and water.

“In a manner o’ spaykin,” he replied. “I’d rather show ye what I kin do and then if ye need to fill yer stomach…”

A few of the other men chuckled at his prickly demeanor. Max kept his superior attitude. 

_ And kriff, if his friend had really been like that, they would never have had a relationship. _

They came to another landing pad, this one quite a bit larger and next to the massive hydro lifts which took the ships to the surface of the tempestuous planet. 

“This is our girl,” said Hepner, gesturing proudly. She was bigger than the Falcon, but likely not as fast. Three levels he saw, running a quick eye over her. Then he decided that he ought to be as cheeky as possible, and hopped up onto the pad to place a hand on the big engines and examine the guns. A modified transport vessel then, and he could guess that the cargo she carried hadn’t been legal for some time. The modifications had been well done. He walked around appraisingly, making sure to give plenty of skeptical looks and sounds. 

“Well?” said Veers, curling his lip slightly. “Can you handle it?”

“Canna  _ handle _ it?” Piett repeated in disgust, getting right into Veers’s space. “Can she handle  _ me _ , is tha question, Stryker. Are ye gonna let me see inside or not?”

The Bothan was quick to comply and the landing ramp lowered, allowing all of them to board. Piett made his way to the cockpit, ignoring the rest of the interior in favor of seeing exactly what he was dealing with. He considered himself a decent pilot, had had to fly numerous vessels out of necessity over his career, but this one had been modified and he needed as much time to see how as possible.

He took his time looking at the console and navigation, before moving toward weapons and then getting down on the deck and scooting himself beneath the pilot’s station to check the wiring.

“What are you doing, mate?” asked the scarred human.

Piett huffed audibly. “I’m checkin’ that all yer mods were done right and won’t kill us all when we take off.”

He heard Veers’ snort above them.

“Thought we established you weren’t necessarily a mechanic, Shaw.”

He pushed himself out and up to his feet swiftly, placing his hand on his blaster.

“Ye’ve got quite a mouth on ye, Stryker,” he snarled as the others looked mildly alarmed at the idea of blaster fire in here. “But I’m a man that likes ta show not tell. You take the co-pilot’s chair then and you’ll get a close up look at what I kin do.”

He was fairly confident he could do well with the ship. Provided she wasn’t modified to have the hair trigger responses that Lord Vader always placed in his vessels, he should be able to give a credible demonstration. 

They received clearance to head up to the surface and once they had done so, Piett tapped at the controls and sent them up into the atmosphere at a reasonable pace, getting the feel for the ship. 

She handled well and he moved out of the orbit of Sullust to make sure they were not in any shipping lanes.

“Well,” he commented. “Not bad.”

“Yes, we know what the  _ ship _ can do, Shaw,” Veers drawled. “But my grandmother could fly her at this pace. We need…”

_ Max, I’m going to shake you up. _

Piett dove and pushed her for her top speed. She gave it to him without too much hesitation and the other smugglers were swearing behind them.

“Meant ta say, ye should strap in!” he called back, flinging her back up and heading deliberately for an asteroid about the size of their ship.

“Ah….Shaw,” Veers said, and he was doing a magnificent job of staying calm, but Piett knew his friend and that hand was fisted quite hard on his leg.

“Is thare a problem, Stryker?” he asked calmly, steering straight for it. He could feel the tension in the cockpit around him.

“Well I don’t know if you noticed that large  _ rock _ there, but….”

“Oh ah did, Mister Stryker. Let’s see how good yer girl’s reflexes are shall we?”

And he skimmed underneath the rock, gauging how close he could get to the shields. 

“ _ Kriffing… _ !”

  
  
_ How’s that Veers? _ __  
  


Piett shot his friend a grin that was purely his and Max glared, tension visible in his big frame. 

“Can yer grandmother do that, Stryker?”

“Son of a Hutt, Shaw,” said Hepner behind him. “Are you trying to kill us?”

“Please, Hepner. Ah could do that plastered.”

Well. 

He really couldn’t. But it sounded like something Shaw would say.

Veers cursed under his breath.

“Did you gents need any more from me? Or kin I fly yer damn ship?”

“I say he’s got the job, Stryker,” the Bothan said, as Piett turned the transport back toward the planet.

Veers sighed with the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders. 

“Fine. But like all of us, there’s a trial period, Shaw. You blow it…..you’re fired. Or, more likely, dead.”

Piett gave him a look as he sent his landing clearance to Sullust.

“Wonderful,” he replied flatly. 

“Welcome aboard then, Shaw,” Veers said and held out a hand.

The others were clearly all wondering if he would take it given their interchange. 

Piett allowed just the right amount of time for Max to wait before taking his hand. 

“Yer lucky ta have me.”

That eyebrow raise was all Veers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *In the Trenches We Find Our Friends


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Skywalker family go through a rough patch. Meanwhile, Piett gets accepted into the cartel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. The angst muse reigned as queen in this fic. Weirdly, because of that, various fluffy muses popped up to ease the pain at different points. For some reason several of my characters wanted to use this particular fic to DEAL with some stuff and as it made for interesting writing, I just went along.  
> In the end, I am happy with where we're going in the character growth department and am hopefully doing so with an interesting story. Thank you all so much for joining me on the ride!  
> I always love hearing from you! :)

Anakin crashed back against the wall and did his best to get the breath back in his body as he rolled to the side to avoid the blaster fire.

“Father!” called Luke and suddenly the droid in front of him was swept to the side to collide with another one in a shower of sparks. 

He rose, blade flashing, to take on four more. 

_ Kriff, having the Lady controlling them was a  _ **_huge_ ** _ challenge. _

He smiled grimly.

_ He loved a huge challenge. _

He felt Leia straining powerfully in the Force, and he reached for her just as she leapt above the encroaching circle of droids that all pointed their blasters toward the ceiling, tracking her. 

He and Luke sprinted for the position and without speaking, purely sensing in the Force, both men flung their lightsabers in tandem to cut through the circle of droids before calling them back to their hands. 

Leia somersaulted over them and landed behind them. Anakin turned in time to see her whip her hand out, and the droids that were speeding toward himself and Luke  _ shattered _ . Not just flung away.

Annihilated.

_ Son of a Hutt.  _

He was hit by her anger and frustration a moment later. 

<Lady! He called. Pause it please.>

<Is it too difficult, Dark one?>

_ Is it too…? _

<Did you just insult me, Lady?>

<I am merely seeking to determine parameters to challenge you appropriately.>

That was smug as hell. She was insulting him.

<You are getting quite smart, these days Lady. I can tell you and Leia should have some time apart.>

<I am not certain of your meaning, Dark One.>

He shot her a supremely unimpressed look before moving to his panting daughter.

“I think the Lady is picking up too many of your personality traits,” he told her, smiling as Luke came over to join them.

And Leia looked up with a decidedly cool expression. 

_ Well kriff. _

Normally when they trained like this--fighting a common enemy--it was better. 

“What’s wrong?” Luke asked innocently. 

“Nothing I want to talk about,” Leia clipped, pushing back damp tendrils of hair. 

But Anakin had battle adrenaline surging through and things had been…...distant for several weeks now. No one could accuse him of being patient. 

“Daughter, we need to be working in smooth tandem for this upcoming mission….”

“I am very aware, thank you Father.  _ Force _ .”

_ Anger. Fear. Aggression. The Dark Side of the Force are they. _

That hadn’t come from him. He glanced at Luke who was gazing at his sister in concern. 

“Leia,” his son said, placing a kind hand on her shoulder. “I know something’s wrong. What is it?”

“Yes Luke. Even non Force sensitives know something’s wrong. I don’t--want--to--talk about it. Not now.”

She shot her Father a significant glance. 

“Why not now?” he asked coolly, placing his lightsaber on his belt. “We all have the time right now. This needs to get out, Leia, it’s been festering for weeks.”

Another surge of rage in the Force. Stars, she was powerful. 

<Dark One? Your progeny is distressed. Can I do something?>

<Thank you, Lady, but we just need to have it out.>

<Have what out?>

<Sorry. Expression that means, speak bluntly to each other.>

<Ah. It is perhaps wise that you are in my reinforced training room then.>

He smiled. Fair point.  _ Discerning, his Lady. _

“You should not be surprised, Father, that we have times we cannot really speak together. Forcing me to do so is rather reminiscent of your  _ other _ persona.”

Luke raised his eyebrows and---- _well_.

She was in the mood to hit that hard apparently. 

“I am not trying to force you, Leia. I am trying to give you an opportunity to lance this boil. Tell me what you want me to hear.”

She surged to his space---his tiny daughter, so like her mother---and despite her petite frame, he backed up at the wall of her Force presence. 

“What I want you to hear,  _ Father _ , are the screams of the millions that you slaughtered for the rest of your kriffing life. I want you to have to see what you did over and over again!”

“You think I don’t?” he snapped and felt Luke’s shock and dread.

“No! Not like I…..!” she stopped.

He felt pity for her. Was certain she was having nightmares again. Since being informed that her Admiral was departing she had been more distant. Well. Even before that they had been cool. 

He tried to tone things down slightly. 

“Have you….tried speaking to Piett?”

She impaled him with flaming brown eyes. 

“That’s not really your concern is it? And we aren’t talking about him.”

“Daughter….”

“Do not call me that. I am entitled to not always feel wonderful around the man who tortured me.”

It hurt like hell. 

“Leia,” Luke tried. “Of course you are, but…”

“Stop, Luke. I’m not going to talk about it with you here, particularly.”

His son met his eyes.

“Well maybe you should. I want to help.”

She visibly controlled herself for her brother's sake. 

“Luke. I love you. But there are some things you cannot know.”

He felt his son’s pain at that.

“I think you underestimate me, Leia.”   
  


She put a hand to his face and smiled at him. “It has nothing to do with strength, dearest brother.”

She was protecting him, Anakin realized. She didn’t want to hurt the relationship that Luke had with him, by telling him in vivid detail how their Father had hurt her.

He felt ill and devoured by guilt.

“Leia,” he said hoarsely, “please tell me that….that you can tell the Admiral if no one else.”

She glared once more. “I can. But….in order to heal wounds, I have to rip them open again. Why do you think it’s been like this?”

“If you can tell Admiral Piett, surely you can rely on me as well,” Luke said sadly.

“I do rely on you Luke! But you’re not our kriffing Father!!” she cried, eyes welling. “And we’re here and I can tell you love training together and that’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you both!”

She didn’t sound it at all.

“But the man _I_ feel that way about is off the ship risking his life once again at the behest of Darth Vader!!”   
  


“Leia, that’s not fair,” Luke said firmly. “The Admiral feels just as strongly about this mission as Father. Even you couldn’t talk him out of it.”

“I know!” She turned away from them, near tears.

“I do hear them. All the time.”

His own voice sounded strange to his ears.

His children looked at him.

“I hear all those voices you spoke of. I hear Obi-Wan. Sometimes literally when he decides to rub salt in the wound with his presence. I hear….I hear your mother, Force help me, and that is the worst…” his voice cracked, and he felt the tears overflow. 

“And I deserve it, I know that. Leia….” he waited until she was looking him straight in the eye.

“I hear  _ you _ .”

She shuddered and both of them were in that cold cell---- and he wanted to stop himself, wanted to smash that awful droid into tiny pieces, wanted to gather his white clad little girl into his arms and get her out of there, from where she was stuck with that dark monster….

He sat on one of the benches and buried his head in his hands. He felt Luke’s warm sunshine presence at his side, and his son rested a hand on his shoulder. 

“I’m….I need...I'm going to find Han,” his daughter managed, and he heard the doors hiss after her.

Anakin sobbed.

  
  


****

Piett managed to sell the old ship for scrap, and then he joined Veers and his crew at the Comet’s Tail, which was the name of the ship he was now piloting. 

Veers was rather keen to get his friend on his own after that insane display the day before, but there had been no time and he would have to table the discussion about Piett losing his mind for another time.

“The location is programmed in to navigation,” Veers informed him as they all boarded. “If you get us there alive, I’ll introduce you to my boss and we’ll see what he wants to do with you.”

“If ah get ye thare….” Piett trailed off shaking his head, and punching in commands to the panel in front of him. “Wouldn’t mind ye goin’ out an airlock, Stryker, but I’m happy ta get the rest o’ you lads thare safely.”

“Don’t judge the rest of us by Stryker,” said the Bothan, shooting Veers a glare as they slowly went toward the planet’s surface on the hydro lift. “We’re glad you’re here.”

“ _ Thank _ ye….what was yore name agin?” Piett asked, and Veers found himself listening closely to his friend’s rhythmic sound. He couldn’t speak for other Axxilans, but Piett’s clear tones had an almost musical note to them. He thought it was rather charming, and felt a surge of anger at those who had made his friend feel that he must hide that part of himself lest he suffer for it. 

“I’m Fryst,” the Bothan replied, drawing the General out of this contemplation. 

“Well, Fryst,” the Admiral said, glancing back at him swiftly. “It’s a vary great pleasure to mate ya to be shore. Unlike some o’ the others ah could mention.”

“Yes all right,” Veers sighed dramatically. “You’re a decent pilot. If a bit touchy. Let’s not spend the entirety of this journey with you sniping at me. How about we start over? I’m Stryker, Max Stryker.”

He held out his hand once more. 

“Vary well,” Piett said after a pause. He shook his friend’s hand. “Alex Shaw.  _ More _ than decent pilot. What do ye do in this organization then, Stryker?”

“Mostly security,” Veers replied. “Make sure this lot get their jobs done without interruptions. Or, in Hepner’s case, hurting himself.”

An indignant ‘hey!’ from the man in question. 

They received permission to depart and Piett touched the controls with a skillful hand to take them out of the planet’s orbit and into the route for Eriadu. Veers tried to recall the last time he had been on a ship that the Admiral was piloting. Well. Apart from the more recent attempt on the Lady when his friend had personally piloted her into battle. 

Given that Piett was the Admiral, he didn’t have as much cause to pilot himself, though he kept current on his certifications like the navy man that he was to the core. 

And that skill was paying off now. 

“So Shaw,” drawled the man with the scar. “What did you do prior to this?”

_ Yes Veers was curious about this back story as well.  _

Piett calmly input something to his controls and then turned to glance at the man. 

“Piloted commercially in the Outer Rim as ye kin guess. Wasna’ profitable as ah could wish so...ah found employment on tha side. Was hopin’ ta get a job in tha Mid Rim until me damn ship broke and ah ran into you lot.”

“Well. This could be  _ quite _ profitable for ya, Shaw.”

Veers gave Hepner, who had said this, a quelling look.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Hepner. Boss has to approve him first.”

Piett gave him a quick look. 

That was indeed key to their plans. The next 10 hours would be critical for Piett to get them to their destination safely and then be approved by the Boss. It wasn’t the Reinharts. They rarely troubled themselves at this level of their organization. They had a series of lieutenants and managers instead. The ‘Boss’ on Eriadu was important and Veers had met him twice now. He was a man of average height, but solidly built, with a barrel chest, cold dark eyes and no hair to speak of. 

“Well yeah, but if you say he’s good, he’s good, Stryker,” Hepner continued.

Veers was banking on that. He couldn’t be too enthusiastic about Piett. He would leave that to the others and play it cool.

It was encouraging to know that his voice was listened to, apparently. Piett gave him a raised eyebrow and a smirk. 

_ And Firmus, with that beard you look positively like a rogue Solo would be proud of. _

He allowed himself a slight quirk of the mouth in response.

And from there, their journey was happily uneventful. The various crew members wandered in and the out of the cockpit so he kept any conversation with his friend to the topics of their cover personas. 

Veers knew his friend was as tense as he was as they approached their final landing at the coordinates given on Eriadu. Piett hid it well, but Veers had known him for many years now, and knew the Admiral was preparing himself. 

The others exited the landing ramp happily and the General hung back as Piett grabbed his duffel. 

“Let me do the talking, Firmus. Then you can unleash that colorful persona of yours when we’ve got more of a feel for how the Boss will react to you.”

The Admiral nodded and they came out into the warm sunshine of Eriadu. It was quite different from the artificial atmospheres and weather of Sullust’s underground civilization. 

Massive snow capped mountains stood proudly in the distance and here in their immediate vicinity, lush jungles dominated. A very perfect planet to hide a great many things. It wasn’t too humid, despite the jungle---the wind coming over the frozen tops of the mountains kept the atmosphere very pleasant indeed. 

Veers knew that the southern hemisphere of the planet was not nearly as pleasant with its heavy industrial base and thick pollution.    
  


It had always been a key stop for trade and industry of all kinds and especially after the advent of Wilhuff Tarkin’s family.

He looked around quickly at the broad clearing and the buildings that housed this part of their operations. It was very much a shipping and processing stop. He had yet to see anything like spice or children coming through this location. 

He spotted the bald head of the Boss approaching, and motioned for Piett to follow. 

“Stryker. Hepner says Nyllust had an inconvenient accident.”

“Yes, sir,” Veers replied rolling his eyes in exasperation. “I know we can’t stop men drinking, but I’d like to think they could manage to  _ hold _ their drink.”

“So, this is his replacement?” the Boss asked, turning to Piett and looking him up and down with a hard eye. 

“If you like. I’ve informed him it’s a trial basis on your say so.”

Just the right amount of deference to the Boss from a man like Veers. He needed to not be obsequious but make it clear that he didn’t see himself as the Boss’s equal. 

“Hmm. He get you here all right?” the Boss asked consideringly.

“He’s standin’ hare isn’t he?” Piett put in, crossing his arms and frowning.

Veers sighed longsufferingly. “Much as I find his attitude deeply obnoxious, sir, he is a decent pilot.”

Piett snorted, but wisely didn’t say more. 

“Better than decent!” chipped in Hepner, coming over.

“Were you asked?” Veers questioned coolly.

Hepner looked slightly abashed. “Look Stryker, I know you don’t like him as much, but he pulled some kriffing impressive maneuvers…”

_ Suicidal more like. And he would be having words about that….. _

The Boss held up a hand and Hepner shut his mouth. 

“What’s your name?”

“Alex Shaw,” Piett replied, still with arms crossed. 

“I’m willing to take you on a trial period, Shaw, provided Stryker here is willing to vouch for you. He doesn’t suffer fools, so if you aren’t all that you should be, there are very permanent consequences for that.”

Piett raised his eyebrows. “Wouldna come if I didna think I could show ye what I kin do.”

“He’s got spine, I’ll give that to him,” Veers put in, not daring to meet Piett’s eyes for that statement. 

The Boss nodded slowly, bald head gleaming in the afternoon sun. 

“All right, Shaw. Tomorrow morning out here. I’ll have a job for you. Stryker here will join you and you’ll be meeting with more crew for a pick up. Stryker, show him where he can bunk.”

“You got it.”

Veers led the way silently to the buildings and found the rooms used by the crew. They were in and out all the time so nothing was personal. 

“You’ll bunk with me, Shaw,” he said, loudly for anyone to hear his reason, “I can keep an eye on you that way.”

Piett pulled a disgusted face. “I would think by this point, ye’d be clare on the idea thet ah won’t betray ye.”

The rooms were designed to house two beings, with basic bunks on each side of the room, a simple dresser and a closet.

The door hissed shut behind them and Veers motioned for his friend to be silent as he pulled out a small device and scanned the room for any spy tech. Yet another little gift from Fox who seemed to be more broadly experienced than Veers had realized.

“I would think that ah got ye hare safely, Stryker, what am ah gonna do? Run off ta tha jungle?”

Veers grinned and Piett returned it as he finished sweeping the room.

“We’re clear.”   
  


Piett set his duffle on one of the beds and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck.

“My muscles are ridiculously tight with tension.”

Veers could sympathize.

“Well, step one is done. Now we just need to do exceedingly well on this mission tomorrow.”   
  


“Do you have any other insights on what it is?” Piett asked, stretching himself out on the bed and placing one arm behind his head. 

“He doesn’t give me any information ahead of time yet. I find out en route what I’m doing.”   
  


Piett nodded, eyes hazy.

“You can’t sleep yet. I need to show you where the mess is.”

“Sorry,” Piett yawned. “My adrenaline has departed and this is the result.”

“Well I’m not sure mine will ever leave after nearly impacting with an  _ asteroid _ yesterday,” Veers told him dryly.

His friend grinned wickedly and sat back up slowly.

“I was in control the whole time, Max.”

“You do know that you sound remarkably like someone else we know who has the last name Skywalker?”

The Admiral snorted in derision and accepted Veers’ hand up.

“You needed me to be more than the average pilot.”

“Bearing in mind that you are an  _ Admiral _ and do not spend all that much time actually piloting these days.”   
  


Piett gave him an offended look.

“I stay current, thank you, General.”

“Current enough for the kind of maneuvers that our commander would be so very proud to see executed? I thought you touted yourself as the rational one.”

“Veers,” began Piett loftily, “this may be difficult for someone who is not a navy man to understand, but…”

_ Oh really Piett?  _

“Oh no, my vac head friend, you do not get to pull that ‘you’re not in the navy you don’t understand nonsense’. You _unleashed_ yesterday and lo, it appears you went to the Anakin Skywalker school of flying. Motto: what doesn’t kill you, gives you an opportunity to try it again.”

Piett laughed.

“Well, it worked. Now let’s find this mess hall so I can complain about it, and come back here to sleep.”

Veers considered his friend.

“Firmus.”

Tired, but twinkling hazel eyes met his.

“I’m glad you’re here to have my back.”

“Always, Max.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piett and the princess have a chat. The Admiral and the General are sent on their first mission for the cartel together.

Piett was  _ exhausted _ .

There were those who would argue that was a perpetual state of being for him (Veers) but that wasn’t true the way it had been before the Battle of Endor. He really did much better now than when he was under Imperial sway. Granted, the return of horrific nightmares in recent months had not been… pleasant, but he had someone else to lean on for that now, someone exceedingly dear to him…..

_ Admiral? _

...someone who was in his head at the moment.

He tugged off his boots with an effort and shrugged out of his jacket as he focused on her. This was still challenging for him.

_ My dear. _

He felt her relief as he stretched out once more on the hard bed. But given the last three days, he found it exceedingly comfortable. 

_ I am hoping you have met up with the General by now, she said. _

_ I have. I have my trial mission starting tomorrow. Can you…..tell where I am? _

_ A brief pause. _

_ Yes. _

_ You are rather remarkable, my dear, he told her. _

_ Pleasure from her, but something else…. _

_ Are you troubled? He asked, sending her his concern. _

_ He could practically hear her sigh. _

_ I…..had a significant confrontation with my Father.  _

_ He hurt for her. _

_ Can you tell me? _

_ You are on mission at the moment, Admiral of mine…. _

_ And currently, I am alone. Please dear girl, we promised each other…. _

_ I had the worst nightmare the other night. _

_ I’m sorry I’m not there. _

_ Well….you are now. I… it was another Vader dream. But he was looking as he does now, only in the armor. And…. _

_ He felt her anguish, then she gathered herself. _

_ It was right after Alderaan. And he shoved me into Tarkin’s grip and told me that he would execute all the other traitors in front of me. And ….and all of you were there.  _

_ Oh kriffing hell. _

_ Hell would describe it, she told him. And somehow he knew she was weeping. _

_ He started with Luke. Ran him through. Then Han. I was begging….. _

_ My dear. It’s not real, you know that.  _

_ I do of course, Admiral dear, but…..but….he could have been like that. And he….he throttled the General and then…… you. _

Horrific to think of his own death that way. How many times had he imagined it happening just like that in actuality?   
  


_ I can’t stop seeing all of you…..I can’t stop seeing HIM. I know he didn’t do it. And he feels awful… _

_ Did you tell him the dream? He asked her, surprised. _

_ No. He just, he feels terrible that I’m struggling. And the thing is…..Admiral….I’m a terrible person… _

_ You want him to, he said for her. _

_ Yes. _

_ There was a long pause. _

_ My dear….I wish I had more wisdom here. Would you like to hear my thought? _

_ Very much.  _

_ What if you told him the dream? Not to be cruel, but….if you could hear him with his voice and face as he is **now** , telling you that he would never do that… _

_ He could feel her strong reluctance. _

_ Thank you, dearest Admiral. I will think about that. Are you all right? _

_ Just tired. _

_ Any….dreams for you? _

_ Happily not recently, my princess. Perhaps being on mission is good. _

_ A strong swell of emotion…. _

_ I miss you. _

_ The same.  _

_ I can feel you need to rest, she said. I’m glad you’re safe for the moment. I’ll check with you soon. And…..thank you. _

_ I love you, my dear. _

_ A small burst of happiness--it was something.  _

_ I know, she said. Mutual. _

Piett opened his eyes and realized with a start that Veers was sitting on the opposite bed, regarding him.

“I didn’t hear you,” the Admiral said, smiling slightly.

“Were you…... _ talking _ to one of them?” Veers asked curiously.

“The princess.”

The General nodded. “That was…..you were barely breathing and so still…. _ Force _ .”

“Sorry,” Piett replied, “I still have no idea how it works, though it’s rather tiring for me when it’s more extended like that.”

“How are things on that end?”

_ That could take years to try and unravel. _

“Complicated between the princess and her Father, I’m afraid.”

Veers leaned his elbows on his knees.

“Well. I’m sorry to hear that. But not surprised.”

Piett longed to hold the wounded daughter in his arms. To comfort the grieving, guilt ridden Father. 

Veers looked at him knowingly. “There’s nothing more you can do from here, Firmus.”

“I know,” he sighed, placing an arm over his eyes. “I just….if I could take their pain on myself…”

“Piett.”

He moved his arm to look at the General.

“You have the biggest heart I know. But it would break under that strain. You already have the weight of the galaxy on your shoulders.”

Piett snorted.

“Don’t you have enough of your own pain? You have done what you could, my dear and noble friend. They will work it out---I believe that.”

Veers sounded very convicted about that.

“What makes you so sure?” Piett yawned.  _ Kriff, he needed to sleep. _

“Because they have us.”

Piett smiled widely at his friend. “ _ Us? _ ”

Veers sighed heavily. “Well. I can’t let you try to fix everything by yourself can I? And here I am, irretrievably embroiled in Skywalker crusades. So, yes. Us.”

Piett pulled the blanket over himself and closed his eyes. “You, General Veers, are the best man I know.”

He heard Max huff as he situated himself on his own bed. 

“Well. Thank you, Firmus.”

  
  


****

Veers was awake before his friend. It was still quite early and he lay for a bit, contemplating the ceiling and rummaging around in his own thoughts.

This mission was a test for both of them. Piett as the newbie, but for Veers….the fact that the Boss remained vague about what they were doing told him that how he reacted to this mission was important.

All right. He would not bat an eyelid. If, as he suspected, they were retrieving children, he would need to make sure Piett was ready. His friend had been adamant that he could do this. And Veers believed him. But on this matter, he was fairly sure he knew his friend, better than Piett himself.

The Admiral was very quick to protect innocents and did so with a startling ferocity. He would cheerfully lay his life down for the lowliest beggar child on the street of any planet. Veers had seen this impulse in action, and it was one of many reasons he loved his friend. 

But, given the intensity of Piett’s feelings on this matter, he needed to be prepared if he was going to have to stand by and let this happen. The hope of course, was that any children captured now would be released in the massive raid by the New Republic.

Veers turned his attention to the sleeping man across the room. 

Piett did all things neatly, including sleep. He was curled on his side at the moment and utterly still, save for the rise and fall of his chest. Veers was grateful. His friend didn’t sleep well in general, and his exhaustion was doing a credible job keeping him under. Speaking to the princess about his nightmares had helped in recent months, and he had seemed more like himself lately. 

Veers rose and found some clean clothing before moving quietly to the fresher for a quick sonic shower. (And  _ Force _ , he missed scalding hot water on the Lady.) He came back out and slipped out of the room. 

He was one of the few up at this hour, including the guards for the compound. He got himself a terrible cup of caf from the communal mess, and stood outside in the fresh air of the grey sky just before the dawn.

One of the guards wandered by with a blaster rifle ready. Veers had met him a few times now.

“Hear our new pilot is quite the firecracker,” the man said with a grin.

“He’s a fiery little bastard,” Veers agreed calmly, and with utter sincerity.

“Well good luck then,” the guard said with a chuckle, moving off. 

When he returned to their room, Piett was sitting on his neatly made bed, tugging on worn brown boots.

He looked up with a small smile as the General entered. 

“I’m really slipping. I didn’t hear you go out.”

“I’m glad, Firmus, you needed the rest.”

“Don’t suppose they have tea here,” the Admiral commented, rising and snagging the jumper to pull over his undershirt. 

Veers chuckled. “Shall we ask the nice cartel members that?”

Piett glared as he tugged the hem down and strapped on his blaster. 

“Fine. I’ll put up with caf.”

“Firmus.”

His friend stopped at the seriousness of Veers’ tone. 

“I think you should know---I think today’s mission involves children. It’s just a hunch, but I think it’s a test for you  _ and _ for me.”

Piett’s already large eyes went wide and he drew in his breath sharply. 

“I’m telling you to prepare you because, Firmus, we have to be cold. We’ll have our opportunity to save them…..”

“I know, Max,” Piett sighed. “Damn it. I know it’s why we’re here.” He ran a hand through his hair and his hazel eyes were burning in intensity. “If I could slag every child trafficker from orbit with the Lady I would.” He blew out a breath and met Veers’ eyes.

“Thank you for warning me.” And he straightened his spine and squared his shoulders.

Veers smiled. The Admiral was going to war. 

  
  


****

It was children. 

They had landed at a location on Dolla, not knowing where they were going until they had boarded the ship and Piett had pulled up the navigation data. 

“Stay here,” he told his friend. “They usually like a quick take off.”

Piett nodded, biting his lip and gazing out the viewport where they could see a knot of people waiting. 

About seven of their crew, and……

… _.at least twenty children. _

His hunch had been correct. 

Reminding himself that this meant they were very close to finding the location where they would be kept, Veers strode confidently down the landing ramp.

“First time I’ve seen you on one of these runs, Stryker,” commented a Trandoshan---Yalur, if he recalled. 

“Yes, well, the Boss decided it was time apparently,” the General responded calmly, glancing over the sad little group. 

Numerous different races represented there. None older than twelve if he was estimating correctly. He knew they wouldn’t be harmed for the most part---they were the commodity after all. But  _ Force _ , he could see Zev and had to grip his blaster rifle firmly, reminding himself that they were playing a long game. He couldn’t just mow down all these bastards and rescue these children right now….

“Let’s go then,” he said, gesturing to the ramp. 

The children were herded up to the passenger level and Veers popped up quickly to the cockpit.

“I’m going to stay down there, Firmus,” he said quickly. “Keep an eye on everything, just in case. It’s likely that one of them will…..”

“New pilot then?” asked Yalur’s gravelly tones as he came in.

“Yeah, Nyllust had a drunk accident, the kriffer,” said Veers smoothly, slowly straightening as Piett swung around in his chair to study the newcomer. 

“Who’re you?” asked Yalur.

“Shaw,” replied Piett curtly.

“You got a first name with that, Shaw?”

“Shore.” Piett didn’t offer more. 

The Trandoshan snorted. “Not the social type then?”

“Ah keep ta meself far tha most part,” Piett stated, and Veers sighed.

“Decent pilot, terrible social skills, I’m afraid Yalur. You’ll get used to him. I’m going to stay down in the passenger area, keep an eye on things. You can stay here if you want.”

Piett shot him a quick look. 

_ Sorry, Firmus, you’ll have to navigate this on your own. _

Yalur grinned at Piett’s feigned irritation.

“I can do that. Help him learn how to socialize with co-workers.”

“Ah fly tha ship. Ah didna sign up ta make  _ friends _ .”

“Good luck!” Veers called, making his way out and down into the passenger level.

Three of the children were crying quietly, and the others were either sitting in fear or eating the basic ration bars their guards had handed out. 

Veers pondered how he would play this. It was a very delicate line to walk, given their goals. He didn’t want to arouse any suspicions in his co-workers---he had built his tough, cold persona already. At the same time, he needed the children to trust him---to see him as at least less terrible than the others around him. He hoped that Piett would have that opportunity as well. 

All right. He’d had a child once. He reached for that part of himself, stomping remorselessly on his pain. 

“How are things here?” he asked, drawing attention to himself. The adults and children all looked to him. 

“Under control,” remarked a Weequay. “But the snivelling is making me  _ crazy _ !” he snarled, whirling on the crying children who backed up in terror. 

“Yes all right, maybe they’re crying at your appearance,” remarked Veers offhandedly and elicited chuckles from the other adult beings around him as he moved toward the sobbing little ones. 

_ Not too tender _ , he reminded himself, as he knelt before them. 

“Listen,” he said, addressing himself to the smallest, a female Dathomirian with black and white skin and huge, silvery blue eyes. “No one is going to hurt you, I promise.”

And he felt wrong, even saying that. It was true to an extent at the moment. But, he reflected, drawing more certainty, he intended it to be true permanently. He needed to remember that. 

She sniffled and looked at him in uncertainty.

“See?” he raised his hands. “The other kids are having something to eat. Can I get you some?”

The other two children who had been crying were now watching in interest, swallowing sobs and slowly calming. One was human and the other was a Togruta with blue and green lekku.

“I want...to go home,” hiccupped the Dathomirian. 

“And you will,” Veers said with sincerity.  _ Force make it so. _ “But not yet. So how about some food, hmm?” __

“Yeah kid,” chipped in another human coming over with the ration bars. “Here. See? Lots better than crying.”

“Where’s my mom and dad?” asked the Togruta boy accepting the water bottle and ration bar handed him, but looking at Veers.

“I….don’t know,” he said, “but you’re going to be fine, ok?”

_ These little ones. So trusting of a stranger because he was confident and mostly decent. He would deeply look forward to taking apart the beings who had kidnapped them.  _

“Nice work, Stryker,” said the Weequay. “Lots of skills hey?”

Veers rolled his eyes at the other being. 

“Did you want to listen to crying all the way back?  _ Force _ , it’s not hard to just be basically nice to our cargo, all right?”

He sat down apart from the others, blaster rifle across his legs and leaned back against the bulkhead---the picture of relaxed and competent cartel member. In reality, his heart was thundering so hard he thought the others must be able to see it.

He looked at all the children, sitting in little groups, most trying to comfort each other, and watching all the adults in the hold seriously with big frightened eyes.

_ I will save you or die trying _ , Veers vowed.

  
  



	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leia and Anakin have another talk. Piett meets someone small.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had planned a conversation between Father and daughter. I did not expect where it went, much as they did not. But. I'm happy it went there. ;)

He felt her before she had quite made up her mind whether to intrude on his office or not. He waved a hand at the doors, and tried to keep his breathing even and his heart rate steady. He kept his gaze on the datapad before him as she came in, so as to be utterly casual. 

“Father.”

He looked up, and his heart twisted at her pale face and the dark shadows under her eyes.

_ I put those there. _

“Do...you have time to….talk?”

Force have mercy. Every time his daughter surprised him with her ability to persevere. She was struggling, struggling with him and what he had done to her, but was facing her pain. So brave. So like her mother.

“Always for you,” he said carefully, rising so that the desk would not be between them, and gesturing to the simple chairs on the other side. 

She was gripping her hands together with white knuckles, but felt his gaze on her and pulled her hands apart, moving to sit in one of the chairs he’d indicated. 

“Han thinks I’m insane,” she began. “He says that he can work with you, but he’s not going to forget what you did.”   
  


Yes, Solo gave him begrudging tolerance, but he wasn’t the type to whistle and forget it.

“How can any of us  _ forget… _ .?” she stopped, tears near the surface again.

This was his penance, Anakin reminded himself, heart bleeding anew. He had done this awful damage and he would hear whatever she needed to say. Always.

She straightened in her chair much as Padme’ had done before difficult Senate meetings or diplomatic encounters of the unpleasant kind.

“I….spoke with the Admiral,” she said, beginning anew and getting a visible grip on herself. 

He intended to do so later. “Is he well?”

“Yes. Working on establishing his credentials along with the General.” She took a careful breath. “I….I was selfish enough to tell him what happened.”

“I doubt Admiral Piett sees that as selfish given his feelings for you,” Anakin told her.

His daughter gave a small smile at her lap, and he felt the deep affection that she had for Piett in the Force. He was beyond any jealousy of his Admiral now. If both Piett and Leia were able to find healing and family in each other, he could only heartily support that after everything he had personally put them through, let alone what each had dealt with aside from that. 

“No. But...he is on mission and I should have….”

“Leia.”

She looked up.

“I know how he sees you. I know how I feel about you. He welcomed your contact, I am sure.”

“Thank you,” she replied quietly. “Regardless, he gave me some advice which…..which I think I would like to follow right now.”

Anakin was very curious. And he appreciated Piett---working so hard to navigate these tricky waters between his friend and commander, and the girl he loved like a daughter. 

“By all means.”

“He advised me to tell you about my…...worst nightmare.”

_ All right. He wasn’t looking forward to that, but Piett had his reasons. _

“And….it’s going to hurt you. And now that I’m sitting here I….”

He felt it.

And tears welled up in his own eyes.

“You don’t want to hurt me,” he whispered.

She shook her head, marvelling at herself. 

_ His incredible Jedi daughter. After all he had put her through. She didn’t want to hurt him. _

Anakin rallied. “Then, Leia, this is absolutely the right time to tell me. If it will help you I want to know.”

“I’m just going to say it. Please don’t interrupt me or I can't…”

“I understand,” he said, leaning back and bracing himself.

“I’m on the Death Star,” she began, resolutely not looking at him, but staring over his shoulder to the stars outside the viewport. “And Tarkin destroys Alderaan. That part isn’t new. I…..I dream that frequently.”

_ Leia...I’m sorry. _

“But instead of taking me back to the cell, you….you shove me into Tarkin’s hold and you tell me that…..that you have all of my fellow Rebels. And you are going to execute them in front of me.”

He knew where this was going. Saw similar things in his own nightmares. Hated himself anew for putting his daughter through both real and imagined agony.

“You…..start with Luke.” She looked at him now---saw the horror in his face no doubt. “You run him through with your lightsaber. Then Han.” Tears overflowed.

“I’m  _ begging _ you to stop….”

“I wouldn’t. I can’t----Leia I could never….” he stammered.

“Please Father.”

He knew she needed to finish. He understood what Piett had advised. She needed to see and feel that he abhorred this. 

“Then you…..you used the Force to kill General Veers. It was so…..I’ve never seen it like that, but….” She wiped at her face angrily. “And then…..then it’s the Admiral. And …...I can hear him trying to draw in air when I’m  _ awake  _ now , but he can’t….”

_ Force help him, had things been different, he might have done that to Piett. And Veers. _

“Leia. I’m…..sorry is such a terribly inadequate word. Please my daughter…..I could  _ never _ do that.”

She was looking at his face. He needed her to know this in her soul. “Leia. I completely understand that I must seem capable of any atrocity. I committed enough to know that. But…” he sighed. 

“My hunt for your brother was obsessive. Had I known who you were, it would have been doubly so. And….that had its toll on my men. Perhaps you know some of that?”

She nodded, gaze fixed on him.

“But in my own twisted way, I valued Death Squadron. I had worked for years to get men like Piett and Veers in place. I knew at some point I would overthrow the Emperor, children or no. I had reached a point where his mad desire for power was something that I was finished with. But then I had even more compelling reason to overthrow him.”

“Luke,” she said, and he couldn’t avoid the pain evident in her voice.

“Yes,” he told her. “Leia I don’t know why I couldn’t sense who you were on the Death Star. If I did though….I might have tried to turn you then. In…. awful ways. Or….I would have fought the Emperor sooner. I don’t know. My daughter, I just...don’t know.”

She nodded. “Continue with what you were saying.”

“When I had your brother at last, it was as though something ripped off a blindfold. The Force perhaps. And I knew, I couldn’t keep going as I was. For his sake. And then that had implications for what I had been driving my men toward. Leia, I _valued_ Admiral Piett. And General Veers. Others as well. Baldwin. I realized they were all sure I would kill them at any moment. But, this is what I need you to hear----I was horrified to realize they thought that. _Darth_ _Vader_ was ill at the thought that his officers believed he would kill them. They had every right to think that. I know. But, Leia. I have always been a man, if a very fallen one. I had assumed they knew the value they held. And if I couldn’t have killed them then, at my very worst, I _certainly_ couldn’t now.”

He felt her belief in the Force.

She believed him. But….there was more. He felt it within her. And he knew the time was right.

“Leia….” he rose and came to kneel before her, taking her small hands into his own.  _ Padme’s had always fit into his so easily as well….. _

“Leia, will you forgive me?” he whispered. “Forgive me for what I did to you?”

He felt her hot tears splash onto their hands.

Then.

“Yes,” she said simply, and he raised her hands to his lips. He knew this was not absolution for all his wrongs. Knew that she would never feel the same for him as he did for her. But he did feel the wash of peace over her in the Force.

“Thank you,” he told her, feeling weak with the power of the moment. 

Never had he thought it possible. But here she was and both of them knew it was done. If he died right now, he could do so joyfully knowing that she had peace with him fully. 

“I…..was not expecting to do that,” she said, with a half laugh, half sob.

“I know,” he replied. “Leia….I love you so much.”

He knew she couldn’t return that sentiment in the same way, but that was alright. 

“I know,” she returned and freed one of her hands to pat his shoulder. “I do know.”

He rose and she stood with him. He desperately wished to sweep her into his arms and never let go, but wasn’t sure……

She slid her arms around his waist, and gave him a brief hug.

He held the world. 

Leia pulled back and despite red rimmed eyes, she was composed.

“Well,” she said smiling tentatively up at him. “The Admiral had very good advice then.”

He owed Piett a lifetime of service for many reasons, but this one…...this one most of all.

“I have yet to know him to do otherwise,” he informed her gravely. 

He could tell both of them felt tender---like a wound fresh out of bacta treatment. 

“I should go,” she said. “Both Luke and Han will want to know about the results of this. I think Han is wondering if he needs to come in and save you from me.”

He laughed at this image. “As if he could stop you.”

“I love that he’d try,” she smiled. 

Well that was true.

He bent and kissed her head. “I am deeply grateful for your heart, my daughter.”

“Thank you for what you are doing,” she replied. “I know you need to speak with the Admiral. Tell him to stay safe will you?”

“I shall.”

She left and Anakin wasn’t sure if he needed a strong drink or a good cry. 

He decided on neither and reached for his Admiral instead. 

Piett was fresh in his thoughts after his conversation with Leia and it was easy to carefully touch his mind. 

_ Admiral. Are you alone? _

_ Not yet, my Lord.  _

Piett was getting better at this—-no hesitation. 

_ One moment, my Lord. _

_ He could sense him moving---if he focused more clearly, he could see what Piett saw… _

_...jungle terrain. Basic grey buildings and Piett was entering one. _

_ All right, sir, the Admiral told him. I’m glad you contacted me. We have news. _

_ You found the children. _

_ Yes, my Lord.  _

_ He felt Piett’s suppressed rage and grief. _

_ Are they…..unharmed? _

_ Physically, yes, my Lord. I just... _

_ Anakin understood. _

_ Any more details, Admiral? _

_ Veers and I have only dropped off two ‘shipments’ there, my Lord. We haven’t been inside the area. But at a glance, there are at least three hundred children in this area. I would suspect there are more like it. _

_ Very well done, Piett. What is the best time to try to contact you? _

_ Near this time is good, sir. Maybe an hour later. _

_ I will be in regular contact, Admiral. The end is in sight. _

_ Yes, my Lord. Piett was fervent. _

_ And, Admiral. _

_ My Lord? _

_ I have been instructed to tell you to stay safe. _

_ A wash of amusement and affection. Thank you, my Lord.  _

Anakin broke the contact. Time was short, but this was good news indeed. He needed to share this with the others.

  
  


****

Piett waited at the controls of the ship as the third shipment of children he’d flown was loaded into the hold. 

He was grateful that Veers had made it a habit to stay with them, just in case. They were a valuable commodity yes, but he didn’t trust beings like this as far as he could throw them. 

They had a week left now and  _ stars _ , Piett was ready to be done. He was  _ more _ than ready to raze this whole abominable business to the ground. To free these children. To return them to their families if they could. To see his princess and his Lady once more. 

The comms crackled. “We’re good to go, Shaw.”

All right then. Apparently he got the cockpit to himself for now. 

He tapped the control panel in front of him and lifted off cleanly, arcing up into the atmosphere. This would be his third time navigating the tricky secret route to Eriadu as well. But until they got closer, he could engage autopilot after he went into hyperspace. 

The stars elongated and he sighed, punching in the commands for auto pilot, before stretching his arms out above his head to ease stiff muscles.

“Hi.”

He froze. A voice that high shouldn’t be up here.

Slowly he turned his chair to see a small red headed boy regarding him. 

“Ah.”  _ Accent _ , he thought to himself. “Ye shouldna be here little one,” he told the boy, trying to be stern but not unkind.

Eyes as blue as Luke Skywalker’s gazed at him. A raft of freckles was scattered across his nose and he couldn't’ be more than five. 

“I want to see the stars.”

_ “Let’s look at the stars, Rilla, I want to see the stars.” _

_ “Shush, Firmus, you’ll wake mother. We will see the stars, be patient.” _

Piett shook off his sister’s ghost and focused on the child in front of him. 

“Ye need to gae back ta the other children,” he informed the boy who promptly ignored him and clambered up into the co-pilot’s seat.

“The stars are fast!” the boy declared pointing at the stream of hyperspace.

“They air that,” Piett agreed, deciding that he could take the little one down while the ship was on auto pilot. “How did ye get up here?”

“I climbed. I’m good at climbing.”

“Yis indade I kin see that.”

The boy studied him. “I’m Matt.”

“Very good.”

“Your turn.”

“Sorry?”

“I said me. Now you say you.”

_ He didn’t want to get close. It was too painful getting close. If things went wrong…. _

_ “I can ….see your ship….Mr. Pete.” _

Piett closed his eyes against her sweet little memory.  _ I’m sorry Nali.  _

“Say you!” Matt insisted, and Piett heard the insecurity there. Names were no longer strangers.

“I….ye can call me Alex.”

Matt beamed. “Can I fly the ship, Mr. Alex?”

“No, Matt,” Piett responded firmly, rising and reaching out a hand. “Ya need ta be below.”

“But I can’t see the stars down there!”

“Ye’ll see tha stars when we get ta tha planet.”

A sigh of deep world weariness from the five year old.

“Ok.” And he took Piett’s hand.

And that trusting little grip held his fingers all the way to the passenger hold.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veers and Piett are at last shown where the children are kept, but an unpleasant discovery has them rethinking the plan.

Veers was aware that he looked every inch the “Iron” persona he had built over the years. He was grateful for the practice since his stomach was churning. 

He was standing near a large compound in the jungle and it was surrounded by a very high energy barrier. There was an open area in the middle and it looked for all the galaxies like a prisoner camp, despite the lovely jungle surroundings.

_ It was a prisoner camp. _

There was a ‘pen’ of sorts inside the barrier, and it was attached to the barracks which had been painted a deep green to blend in with the natural terrain. 

At last, he and Piett were part of the crew actually delivering the children they had just picked up to the place they would stay until this large ‘sale’ took place.

He glanced at Piett, wondering if he was even now speaking to his Lordship in the special ‘Skywalker’ communication that his friend had been pulled into using. Lord Vader had known they were close, and had promised to keep frequent tabs on the Admiral’s presence through the Force. 

His friend was standing near the children and they instinctively clustered near him, the littlest one…. _ Matt _ ? actually clutching his leg. He was doing well in not being too visibly attached, but Veers knew he had placed himself there on purpose. 

The Boss strode out and placed his hands on his hips surveying their new arrivals with a cold eye.

“Well. Here are the rules. You stay inside the camp. You will be fed and you have beds and blankets and an area to play if you are good. If you are not good, you will stay in the barracks. Not good means trying to run away. If you try to run, you will be punished. And we will always find you.”

He motioned some of his crew forward, each holding a small device in their hands and Veers felt horrifically sick.

They were going to chip the children. Of course they were. It made sense. What concerned him however, was the type of chip they were using. Was it a standard tracking chip….or the more heinous, slave chips?

“Hold still and this will be over in a minute,” the bald man continued as the children shrank in fear near their guards. Matt's lip was trembling as the man approached and an older girl, possibly ten, bent to pat his head and whisper something to him. Piett met his eyes briefly as Matt maintained a death grip on his trouser leg.

“Ahrait little man,” he told the child, “be brave now.” And Veers knew his friend hated this as much as he did, hated just standing by as this happened. The General comforted himself with images of destroying every being here while the children were chipped. 

“This little device!” called the Boss, holding up a small remote. “This can control all these chips. It can also explode. I certainly don’t want to use it. So don’t make me.”

And Veers’ fears were confirmed. And this changed things. Because if the raid began and word came from the place the sale was held that they were being attacked, he was reasonably sure the Boss would be ordered to use the remote.  _ Kriff _ . He and Piett needed to talk. 

They were almost done chipping the children when a panting Twi’lek came running up to the Boss and whispered something.

“Get the children into the compound,” he ordered abruptly. “Everyone but the guards with me.”

The children were hustled inside, Matt bursting into tears at being separated from Piett. 

Laughter from the other beings and Veers watched his friend exert all his acting skills to roll his eyes and shrug, when he knew the Admiral would rather kill them all. 

They piled into speeders to head back to the main complex without any further explanation from the Boss. But Veers had noted something. Three of the children, Matt included, had not been chipped in the rush. 

As they arrived, Veers observed a large and very expensive looking ship on the landing pad. There were heavily armed beings all around it (bodyguards?) and two tall men were standing at the foot of the landing ramp.

The Boss was out of the speeder in a flash and moving apologetically to the men. 

“Apologies, sir, I was overseeing the arrival of the latest shipment.”

“Quite so,” responded the one with the pure white hair and perpetual sneer, and Veers was certain that he was at last looking at the Reinholt brothers. 

“Would you like to come inside, gentlemen?” the Boss asked with great respect and their group moved off, leaving the rest of them looking at each other.

“Ah need a caf,” grumbled Piett and the others all chuckled at ‘Shaw’s’ perpetual bad mood as the Admiral stomped off. But it provided a reason for them to be talking, so Veers followed and casually grabbed one as well in the mess hall before the two of them leaned casually against a wall, doing their best to look as though they were just wasting time.

“This changes things,” said the Admiral around his cup so that his mouth wasn’t visible.

“Mm,” Veers responded, taking a sip himself. “We have to get that remote.”

“He keeps it on him, Max, how do you propose that?”

“Not sure yet, Firmus. But we have a few days left. He can’t have that thing on him when Lord Vader leads the raid on the sale.”

“All right. How about this? Because he’ll notice if it’s gone. What if we lift it, and disable it, and then return it?”

Veers pondered. The Admiral had a good point. “Good. How?”

Piett turned to grin at him wickedly. “You’ll need a distraction. Shall I start a fight?”

Veers gazed at him. “You, Admiral, are a downright menace to society and I love it.  _ Force _ .”

“When?” Piett asked, sipping his caf and Veers admired him for stomaching that, knowing his friend’s preference for tea.

“I’ll give you a signal. It needs to happen around the Boss and enough of the others for me to be disguised in the melee’.”

“All right. I’ll leave first. Don’t want them thinking we’re too friendly.”

“Firmus,” Veers said softly as the Admiral downed the last of his caf. Piett looked at him.

“I wish we really were brothers.”

Piett smiled confidently. “We are, Max. I think we’ve shed enough blood together to qualify.”

And he left. 

_ Thank you, Piett. _

****

The opportunity arose two days later. Piett had made sure to increase his surly personality, getting touchier about everything so his eruption wouldn’t be a huge surprise.

They were making a stop to check in at the containment camp before the Boss sent Piett and Veers with a crew to get one more shipment. 

The Boss was discussing something with the camp commandant and Veers was beside him. Piett saw the General look over the heads of the others milling about and nod ever so slightly.

It was time.

Heart pounding, Piett moved into the group and deliberately bumped into Hepner.

“Watch whar yer goin’!” he snarled, placing his hand on his blaster.

Hepner was stunned.

“Sithspit, Shaw, I’m not doing anything. You are one of the touchiest bastards I know!”

“Oh raily? Is this because ah hail from the Outer Rim?” He glared and the attention of the others was riveted, sensing the fight in the air. 

“ _ Force _ no. It’s just because you need to calm the kriff down you little….!” 

He didn't let Hepner finish, diving for him and taking them both to the wet jungle floor. 

Faintly he could hear Veers’ voice bellowing for order and the Boss’s angry tones, but he needed to focus on getting in some realistic fighting. Hepner wasn’t completely inept, and he had the advantage of about forty pounds over Piett.

However, he didn’t have Max Veers as a training partner and Piett had the solid upper hand. He was pulled off of the hapless cartel member by Frysk and held firmly as the others helped Hepner to his feet. He hoped he’d given the General enough time.

“What in the name of the  _ galaxies _ was all that about, Shaw?” spat the Boss. “We don’t have time to mess around with petty issues. I run a top crew, not your local yokel spice dealers!”

Piett glowered at Hepner who looked equally enraged. 

He opened his mouth to reply when he was interrupted. 

“What did you just take from the Boss, Stryker?” asked one of the crew and suddenly it was deadly quiet.

_ Kriff, kriff, kriff…. _

The large bald man swung to look at Veers who had the best sabacc face in the sector.

“What the kriff are you talking about?” he said coolly to the one who had spoken.

But the Boss was putting a hand to his pocket. He looked up swiftly, and suddenly the Twi’lek and the dirty furred Bothan had Veers by both arms as the Boss dug the remote out of his trouser pocket.

“Care to explain yourself, Stryker?” he asked.

“Not really,” said Max with remarkable steadiness. There were numerous children watching them from behind the barrier now, Piett saw. His mouth was dry.

“Who are you working for?” the Boss asked, drawing his blaster to point at the General.

Piett shook himself out of the Trandoshan’s grip to watch.

“Not your concern,” Veers said steadily.

The Boss fired and Piett’s world shook.

Veers was alive. He was swearing fervently, but he was alive. He’d been shot quite deliberately in the thigh.

“Let’s try again,” the Boss declared, “Who do you work for?”

“Hutts,” his friend ground out. “They wanted me to see if they could get a corner on this market. Fact finding mission.”

“Really….” the Boss replied pondering and circling him. “If it’s fact finding, I have to wonder why you wanted the remote.” 

_ Please, not Max….. _

“I don’t think I believe you, Stryker, if that’s your name. But I can tell your type. You wouldn’t talk with regular methods.” He motioned to his men, and then several children were dragged out of the compound, crying and screaming. 

“Tell me who you work for or I start on them. I have enough to spare.”

_ Son of a Hutt. That was Matt, a blaster pointed at his white little face. _

Veers couldn’t. Piett saw his shoulders sag.

“I work for the New Republic,” he said calmly, resigned to his death. 

“Ah. That I _do_ believe. Well, kill him then.”

“Stop!”

Piett almost couldn’t believe that was his voice and he knew Max was angry, but he couldn’t let his friend die. Besides, Veers may not be remembering that they still had a card to play here. 

The Boss swung his gaze to pierce him.

“You’ve caused enough problems today, Shaw…..” he trailed off, as realization slowly dawned on his features. “ _ You _ caused that scuffle….”

Piett found his arms seized once more and he straightened. “Yes. And if you kill him, you will lose a valuable bargaining chip.”

“ _ No _ ,” Max hissed. 

_ I’m sorry Veers, but I’m going to play this hand. I think we can do this **and** have you live.  _

“Oh really? Who is he then? And who are you?” 

Piett was conscious of the blaster still pointed at Matt.

“That is General Veers. I am Admiral Piett.”

Max closed his eyes.

The Boss looked as though he’d run into the back end of a Bantha. 

“Well,” he managed at last. “The New Republic is very interested then. Hepner, go back to the base and scan for any comms. Tear their room apart. Search them,” he demanded, and they found Veers’ commlink. 

“When was it used last?” he asked as the men examined it. Max was breathing through the pain of his wound and Piett desperately wanted to get to his friend. 

“Several days ago, sir.” 

“Before our officers here were at this location.”

“Yes, sir.”

“What was your real mission?” the Boss asked, whirling on Piett.

“To rescue the children,” he said clearly, and the little ones were watching in confusion.

“Just the two of you?” 

“Of course not,” the Admiral replied as scornfully as he could. “We were getting ready to comm our people this location.”

The Boss pondered. “Why should I leave you alive?” he asked, and blasters were pointed center mass at Veers and himself. 

“We’re high profile,” Piett said, praying this gamble payed off. “You kill us and you become a very hot commodity for the New Republic.”

The Boss was no fool. “My employers are very busy the next few days. I will allow them to decide your fate when they’re available,” he declared, and Piett tried not to let his relief show. They had a chance. 

“Chip them!” the bald men shouted, and Piett had the very unpleasant experience of the chip gun shoved at the base of his neck and the chip implanted.

“They can look after these  _ children _ they care so much about,” the Boss sneered, walking over to tower above Piett.

“Very convincing accent there,  _ Admiral _ . Your real one perhaps?”’

“Does it matter?” Piett asked coolly.

The Boss slapped him across the face with an open hand.

“There will be consequences for you both. The Reinharts do not take betrayal well.”

Piett licked the blood trickling from his lip and grinned, the devil in him rising to the fore.“Well, technically we were never theirs so we didn’t betray them. No harm done.”

Veers was staring at him in disbelief.

_ When your back’s against the wall, Max…. _

The Boss actually chuckled. “I could have liked you, Piett. Ah well. You can babysit for awhile. Until the Reinharts decide if they want to kill you personally or let you die slowly in the spice mines.”

Piett and Veers were shoved into the compound, then the forcefield was reinstated and they were left facing several hundred children of all species. The guards were in numerous towers around the compound, well protected from any elements, but blaster rifles were very visible. 

“Max.” Piett got his shoulder under the General’s arm and helped him to sit, allowing him to lean against the wall of the barracks for the children. 

He knelt and looked at the wound. Cauterized for the most part, but blood was trickling slowly in places, and that burn needed to be protected. Veers was almost certain to get an infection out here if they weren’t given anything to treat it. 

And Piett was fairly certain that wouldn’t happen. He shrugged out of his jacket and untucked the cheap shirt he was wearing to tear a long strip. The children were gathered in a curious circle, though still keeping a bit of distance between themselves and the two officers. 

“I’m sorry, we’ll have to wait until we get water to clean it, Veers,” he said, binding the General’s leg tightly. Veers nodded, grunting a little in pain. 

“Want to tell me what the  _ hell _ you were thinking, Firmus?” Those grey eyes were still angry, but Piett knew Max well enough to know that his friend was upset that Piett had been caught too, and that of his own accord. 

“I do actually, Max. I know you’ve been shot and things are not necessarily as clear right now, but…”

“Mr. Alex?”

Matt. Still with tear tracks on his face, and trembling from the encounter. Piett sighed. In his focus to help the General, he’d forgotten there were other casualties of their reveal. 

“Hello Matty.”

The child frowned. 

“You…..that’s not how you talk.”

“Come here, Matt,” Piett said kindly, “I’ll try to explain.”

The little boy was looking distraught again, and so many things had changed for these poor children….

Piett rubbed a hand over his face. Very well. 

“Matty. Ah promise thet I’m me. Will ye come?”

The child edged forward and Piett waited patiently until the boy was next to him. “Are ye all right, Matt?” he asked, looking him over for injury.

“Yeah. Why were you talking funny? Why did they hit you?”

He carefully got an arm around the boy and suddenly the little body was clinging to him, still shaking. He exchanged a look with Veers over the red head, and sat himself on the ground to pat the child’s back and murmur comfort. 

This seemed to reassure all the others, and he and Max found themselves hemmed in by little faces and big eyes. 

The girl that had tried to comfort Matt a few days earlier came to sit beside him, along with a little blonde child.

“Are you really here to save us?” she asked, eyes too cautious and knowing for a child who couldn’t be more than ten. 

“Yes,” Piett said firmly. “What’s yore name?”

“I’m Mareet. This is Varis,” she said, gesturing to the blonde wisp of a girl. “And you know Matt. We were all caught together.”

He nodded. “This is General Veers. Ah’m Admiral Piett.”

She looked at him curiously. “Why  _ were _ you speaking differently?”

Max chuckled lightly and Varis looked at him gravely. 

“Hello,” his friend said. The girl merely regarded him solemnly.

“She doesn’t talk,” Mareet explained. 

“I’m sorry,” Veers said, “is she unable…?”

Mareet shook her head. “She just….. _ doesn’t _ . Not since we were caught.”

“That’s all right,” the General said calmly, exchanging a look with him. “She doesn’t have to.” Max leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes and Piett wished he could do something more for his friend. 

Varis moved closer to the General, very slowly, and sat down about a foot away from him, watching him. 

Matt loosened his death grip slightly as Piett continued to calmly pat his back and the boy relaxed a bit more. 

“So why did you change your voice?” Mareet pressed and Matt looked up, interested.

Veers raised an eyebrow at him and made a little ‘go on’ motion with his head. 

Piett sighed lightly. “This….’voice’ as ye say, is hard far some bein’s ta understand,” he explained. “So when ah joined the navy, ah lairned how ta spake like…..”

_ Like the Core worlders. Like the snobs and elitists who had made his life hell…. _

Max gave him an understanding gaze.

“.....like mosta the bein’s ah worked with.”

Mareet seemed satisfied with this explanation. “That was nice of you,” she said, and he smiled ruefully at her. 

“I like this sound better,” Matt declared patting his chest and Piett felt his breathing hitch at the innocent statement. 

_ If only all beings could retain the open and accepting attitude of children.  _

“Are you friends?” asked another child, and Piett smiled.

“Yes,” he responded, “General Veers is ma verra good friend.”

"Mutual, Firmus," Veers murmured, leaning his head back and Piett recognized that the General's tight jaw indicated pain.

“Did you mean it that you’re going to save us?” a Twi’lek boy asked.

“We do,” said Veers calmly, “but you need to be patient. Our friends will come.”

Mareet looked very doubtful at this. 

“But you….. I heard you say that you didn’t tell them where we were.”

Piett shared another look with Max. They were asking a tremendous amount of trust from these children. 

“Mareet,” he started, “thar’s a lot we canna tell ye. And ye have no raison to trust us, but…..ah’m askin’ ye to all the same.”

She didn’t say anything, staring at him doubtfully. 

Piett looked around, trying not to be overwhelmed at the enormity of their task. He had to trust that Lord Vader would contact him soon, and he could share the situation and their precise location. One thing a time.

“Ah could use yore help now,” he told the children. “General Veers could use a bed, can any o’ ye help me find one inside? We dinna want to take one o’ yores by accident.”

Several little ones shot to their feet----eager to be helpful. 

“I know,” said the Twi’lek boy confidently. “You can follow me!”

“Firmus….” Max said as Piett crouched to get his arm over his shoulders. “I don’t….”

“I’m going to stop you there, General,” he responded as they heaved to their feet. “You know as well as I do that this is likely to get infected. I want to try and keep you as strong as possible to face that. Resting is important.”

“Provided, friend of mine, that you do not kill yourself in the endeavor. You’re counting on Lord Vader to find you, aren’t you?”

They made their slow way after the eager children.

Max had caught up to the plan. “Yes,” Piett answered as they ducked inside and dim lighting flickered on at the movement. “We need to keep him apprised of the chip situation. We’ll need one of our resident Jedi to get here and keep that from happening.”   
  


Veers nodded as they limped down rows of basic bunks. 

“Or die trying.”

Piett really hoped not. 

“Yes. Or that.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin shares the news of Piett and Veers' capture with the others and they plan accordingly. Piett finds himself in the position of story teller.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm in baking mode. I really don't have tons of time, but it's therapeutic. Much like oh, writing fanfic over here in my tiny corner of the Star Wars sandbox.
> 
> I do wish I could send the results to you all as writing and baking delicious things are dangerous combinations. But I LOVE doing both things. I will genuinely unwind by writing heavy angst (I mean, it's me) or by making bread. 
> 
> (Or cookies. Full disclosure today was cookies.)
> 
> That's all. Just thought I'd share those random thoughts and hope you're all keeping well in challenging times. :)

Anakin blew out a breath and sought to calm his breathing, sinking more deeply in the Force as he meditated on Piett’s news.

Veers and the Admiral were in a very dangerous position now. He understood their reasoning, and it was unfortunate the General had been caught in his attempt. And with children to threaten, the cartel had his officers in a very tight corner.

And this remote was troubling. Piett was right---Fox and the 501st could easily overpower the enemy at the compound, but one press of a button could destroy hundreds of precious little lives. 

He needed to speak to the others. Anakin surfaced from his meditation and rose to snag his datapad and type in a message. 

In short order, his children, Commander Fox, Captain Kelly, Lieutenant Scraps, and Madine were assembled in his office.

“Thank you all for coming on short notice,” he told them all, looking around at all their faces. Luke was waiting patiently, leaning against his Father’s desk. Fox wore the same impassive gaze he always wore, and Anakin appreciated the clone’s supreme control and competence. Scraps was openly concerned---the boy was very devoted to the Admiral, and he could feel the trepidation coming off of him. The Captain stood by his daughter, hands behind his back in unconscious imitation of Piett, while Leia had her arms crossed defensively. It was not toward Anakin himself, he could tell. She was preparing to defend herself from bad news. Madine, who was leading the regular troops to arrest the buyers, had his hands on his hips and looked mostly curious. Anakin couldn’t stand the man, but he was competent enough and had been eager to help in this endeavor.

“I have been in contact with the Admiral.” He took a breath knowing that this news would be distressing for some of them, and Anakin just preferred to rip the bandage off the wound and get it over with.

“He and General Veers have been discovered.” He heard Leia’s sharp breath and felt her fear in the Force. “Piett has convinced the overseer of their compound that the decision to kill such high ranking New Republic officers should rest with the leaders of the cartel. For now they are imprisoned with the children.”

“This,” said Madine in his most officious ‘I told you so’ tones, “is why we should have actual trained professionals go undercover….”

“ _ If _ , General, you would allow me to finish,” said Anakin with gracious venom, and Fox shot him a minute flicker of what could have been approval. Coming from the commander it was almost as good as applause. 

“They found themselves in a difficult position when they discovered the children had been chipped with slave chips.”

He felt the revulsion around the room. Kelly and Scraps looked openly appalled.    
  


“Veers made an attempt to retrieve the remote in order to disable it and replace it. He was caught and the children threatened unless he revealed who he works for. I would hardly call their capture the fault of incompetence.” He could see the understanding on the faces of the others.

“And naturally,” put in Fox dryly, “I'm going to guess our Admiral wasn’t going to let him go down by himself.”

“Piett decided to gamble on the fact that they wouldn’t kill them right away and, of course, he is aware that I can speak to him. We now have the precise location of the children.”

“But the remote is a problem. Is there only one? Or do we need to worry about more?” Luke asked. 

“Piett believes, given the nature of the ‘Boss’ he referred to, that there is just the one. So. I propose this: We proceed as planned with our landing. Fox, you will lead your troops to free the children and our men. Kelly, you will provide support from orbit and ensure that no one escapes off planet.”

Both men nodded gravely. 

“Madine will lead our troops into the sale location. Commander Skywalker, the Princess and myself will join him. When we have secured that area, I will join the 501st, unless I sense otherwise from the Admiral, in which case I may need to leave sooner. Can everyone adjust to that if I need to get to the children?”

His children nodded.

“Father…” Leia began, and he sensed the nature of her concern.

“The Admiral is unharmed at the moment, but the General was shot in the leg.”

Interestingly, he felt a surge of concern from Fox though the man’s face was utterly and impressively still. 

_ Not quite the unattached and cold bastard you’d have us believe then eh, Fox? _

“So. Many excellent reasons to get this right. Kelly, I’ll leave it to you to communicate with Henley and the medical crew about getting planetside. Obviously, all the medical transports are being prepped for receiving the children.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Questions?” Anakin asked, looking around at his people. 

Silence.

“Then unless something else develops, I shall see you in two day’s time.”

Everyone filed out, his daughter hanging back.

“Father….you’re sure that we don’t need to attempt to go in sooner?”

She perched on the arm of his black sofa. 

He considered her. 

“You mean, forego arresting the buyers and focus purely on rescuing the children and our men?”

She nodded. “I realize that is not what we had intended, but if the General is wounded….”   
  


He had considered it, briefly.

“Piett seemed certain they could hold out. He understood the risks.”

She smiled sadly. “I’m sure he did. But then, our Admiral is willing to give everything he is to this cause. I love him for it. And I’d rather save all these children than arrest the buyers if it came to it.”

“If it were a clear choice, I would agree, Leia. But he believes, as do I, that we can do both.”

She sighed. “Very well. Should I try to speak with him? Since he just had you in his head, I don’t want to cause too much Skywalker damage in his brain.”

Anakin smiled as she unconsciously echoed Piett’s comment of several weeks ago. 

“He always welcomes hearing from you, Leia. I’m sure he’d appreciate your encouragement.”

She rose. “Thank you, Father.”

  
  


****

Veers watched the children running around the compound from his spot leaning against the metal fence attached to the barracks. 

_ Force _ , children were so resilient. Kidnapped and ripped from all they knew. Some no doubt having seen awful things in the process, and yet here they were playing a game with each other.

Some of them at least.

Others walked around in little groups talking, and some just sat by themselves outside or in the barracks.

And one tiny blonde girl sat beside him silently. She still kept a foot of distance between them and perched, knees drawn up to her chest, watching the other children, or on occasion stealing glances at him.

Veers wondered what she had seen to make her so silent, but he wasn’t going to press Varis to talk. She seemed to be content in his presence, and if that gave her some sort of security, he was more than happy to encourage that. 

He knew that he had a fever. It had been a difficult night and, as Piett had predicted, his wound was infected, despite the Admiral donating his water ration to cleaning it. Veers rubbed at his forehead and tried to ignore the burning in his thigh. He couldn’t even relieve his stress by walking around, which was what Piett was currently doing---taking swift laps around the compound. It also allowed him to get a good read on how many guards were present and how alert they were to their charges. 

He understood his friend’s reasoning in allowing himself to be captured as well. It allowed him to be near the children and do his best to protect them. And Veers was not a Skywalker magnet in quite the way that Piett was. Frankly, he didn’t know if he would want them in his head, and was content to receive updates from the Admiral. But he still hated being helpless because if their captors decided that they should just be killed, he could do nothing to save Piett _or_ the children.

He watched the slight and straight backed form of his friend at the other end of the compound, Matty trotting at his heels like a red headed puppy. Veers sighed and felt a very light touch on his arm. He looked down at the tiny form of Varis who was offering him a piece of the ration bar she had received this morning. 

“Thank you very much,” he said gravely, taking it gently from her fingers. “Are you sure you don’t want it?”

She shook her head. Truth be told, he didn’t really want it either--he wasn’t feeling well—but the sweet gesture shouldn’t be spurned so he nibbled at it, and the child settled herself comfortably against him. 

At last the Admiral joined him, sweating lightly from his exertions. He smiled at the little girl nestled against Veers, and she smiled shyly back. 

_ Because children trusted Firmus implicitly and always had.  _

“Lost your shadow I see,” Veers said, and Piett glanced back out at the compound. 

“Well, I told him he should play with the others for a bit. He was very keen to know why I was walking and decided he needed the workout as well.”

“Oh yes?” Veers asked, amused. 

Piett grinned again and seated himself next to the General on the other side. “You know how children love to imitate.”

_ He did indeed. Zev had delighted to try on his Father’s much too big boots and hat…. _

And he really was unwell if he was feeling that emotional about his memories.

“How’s the leg?” Piett asked, moving to touch the makeshift bandage carefully. 

“Infected,” Veers said briefly, and the Admiral frowned as he carefully unwound the bandage. 

“I can try to clean it again…”

“Firmus.” 

His friend looked up at him. 

“You need the water. One of us needs to be reasonably fit for the….” he paused, aware that Varis was right there. “For when it’s time.”

“Max, I don’t like it.”

Veers smiled. “Of course you don’t. But I can hold out. It won’t be pleasant, but I can. Henley won’t hear me complain this time. You, my friend, need to be strong.”

Piett huffed his displeasure at the situation, but rewound the bandage firmly and carefully. Then he sat back and watched the children with Veers.

“The princess contacted me a bit ago,” he said after a moment. 

Veers inclined his head.

“And…?”

“She just…” his friend paused and smiled at Mareet who was wandering over by herself from the main gate. “She wanted to know that we were mostly in one piece. And….to let me know that they were coming for us.”

“We were already clear on that, I thought,” Veers said.

“I…..” Piett paused and flushed slightly. “I have had some…..unpleasant dreams where rescue doesn’t happen.”

_ Firmus…. _

Veers placed a hand on the Admiral’s shoulder. “Then I’m glad she can reassure you.”

Mareet and the Twi’lek boy, Nyklos, joined them.

“When will your friends come?” Nyklos asked softly, seating himself cross legged opposite Veers.

He exchanged a look with Piett. 

“Very soon,” he promised. Mareet came to sit by the Admiral.

“I know how to slip out of the gate,” she told him.

Piett looked at her in alarm. “Sweetheart, no. Do not try to escape. I assure you, our friends will come.”

Her thin face and big grey eyes expressed her doubt. “But if…..if they don’t, I think I could slip out. Especially because they forgot to chip me. I could get out and try to find a way to contact your friends.”

The Admiral placed a hand on her back. “My dear. I swear to you that our friends are coming. I know you have a hard time believing that, but…”   
  


“They said my parents would be here too, but they’re _not_ ,” she interrupted abruptly. “And they killed Matt’s—he didn’t see, but….”

_ But she had. _

Veers closed his eyes in grief, both at their deaths, but also because she had seen it.

This little girl was trying to be so brave and come up with a rescue plan….

He opened his eyes in time to see Piett gather her into his arms as she gave a small sob into his shoulder. Nyklos and Varis looked on helplessly. 

“Perhaps your parents are still out there,” Firmus murmured as her shoulders shook. 

“I want them,” she cried, and Piett held her tightly. 

“I know, sweetheart,” he said softly, “I know. We’ll do our best. Until then, please stay with us.”

Veers and Nyklos looked at each other in that awkward way that happens when someone else is struggling emotionally, and one doesn’t know what to do. He’d noted two short wooden posts out in the open area and he asked the boy about them.

The young Twi’lek shuddered. “That…..that is where we’re punished if we try to run or disobey them.”

“You’ve…..seen…?”

Nyklos nodded. “I’ve been here a month. I’ve seen it twice.”

Veers was tired of feeling ill in so many ways. 

Mareet’s sobs were quieting as Piett comforted the girl. Varis was watching the older child with her big eyes, and Veers realized that her little fingers were clutching his sleeve while Nyklos sought to be brave in the face of it all. 

“We are going to get you out,” the General promised.

  
  


*****

  
  


Piett finished cleaning the wound with  _ some _ of his water (it’s _fine_ Veers) and Veers shuddered very slightly, aware that they had numerous little faces all around them watching the procedure. At least ten of the children had offered their water toward the effort as well, and Piett had gently refused though he and Max were both very touched. Another strip of his shirt went to bandaging the wound, and then the General relaxed more fully on the bunk. 

The Admiral placed his hand to Veers’ forehead and was not at all pleased by the heat he could feel. 

“It will be alright, Firmus,” his friend told him, eyes closed and the tell tale flush of fever on his cheeks. 

Piett tried to quell his worry, particularly for the sake of the children who were watching solemnly. As many as could cram into this wing of the barracks had done so, drawn by the comfort they found in the presence of the two officers.

“A’right little ones,” he declared, slipping back to the accent which seemed to comfort the children, Matt especially, who was right at his leg as usual. “Off ta bed wi’ ya.”

The gathered throng glanced at one another in the dim light. 

“I….I don’t like being alone,” piped up a little voice.

“Yer not alone,” Piett said kindly, “ye have all the other children.”

“We want to be with you,” declared another boy, and Matt nodded emphatically. Varis had already clambered onto Veers’ bunk and was curled at his feet like a kitten. 

“Ye need rest…” the Admiral started.

“Can you tell us about your friends?” asked Mareet, and Piett sighed quietly, looking around at all the anxious faces.

“Bed time stories, Admiral,” murmured Veers, still with his eyes closed so he couldn’t appreciate the look Piett gave him. 

_ All right then. It wasn’t as though he got much sleep anyway. _

He sat on the bunk across from Veers and scooted to lean his back against the wall. Matt was immediately pressed into his side and Mareet sat on his other side, several of the other children clambering up as well while others settled themselves on bunks or the floor. 

_ Where to start?  _ And then he knew.

“So ah am an Admiral. Do ye know what that manes?”

“You are in charge of ships!” answered Nyklos.

He smiled. “Yes. Ah command a fleet. But ah have a special ship---the flagship. Her name is Executor. But we call her tha Lady.”

“Why?” asked a girl.

“Because she is. She’s a beautiful lady. The most beautiful in the galaxy.”

Veers was smiling, smug bastard.

“She is incredibly smart, me Lady, and she knows when ah’m thar and when ah’m not.”

“How does she know?” piped up a small voice from a bunk Piett couldn’t see. 

_ Yes, how did one explain the concept of a sentient starship? _

“She….well. As ah mentioned, she’s verra special.  _ Why _ she is---that is a secret. And she is verra big. How many o’ ye air from big cities?”

Hands shot into the air.

“Well, me Lady kin hold some o’ the biggest cities you kin think of upon ‘er.”

Little choruses of ‘ooos’ and ‘whoas’. 

“When ah’m aboard, me intelligent Lady has all o’ her lights on the outside tairn white. Otherwise, she sails through the stars with a lovely blue.”

“Blue is my favorite,” Matt informed him, leaning heavily against him. 

A chorus of agreement from numerous others. Equally numerous voices sharing their shades of choice.

“When she’s angry,” Piett said, raising his voice a little to restore order, “she tairns red.”

“ _ My _ favorite,” said a voice down to his left and another chorus of agreement occurred. Veers’ mouth quirked.

“What’s your favorite, Admiral?” asked Mareet.

“Ah. Well, ah must confess thet ma favorite is pure white.”

“No surprise there,” murmured his friend. 

“White is boring,” declared Nyklos with a huge yawn on the bunk above Veers’. 

“Well, depends on the maining of the color, I think,” Piett told him. “Ye see, white is me Lady’s color for me, so it’s special. And…..white is the color for me princess as well.”

Gasps and fascinated eyes were glued upon him.

Veers chuckled.

“A  _ real _ princess?” asked Mareet, ever the doubter. 

“Absolutely a rale princess. Ah won’t lie to ye.”

“What’s her name?”

“What does she look like?”   
  


“Is she coming too?”

Piett put up his hands, amused at the eager overlapping voices. 

“One atta time little ‘uns.”

“I’m not little,” declared a Togruta boy who couldn’t be more than seven. 

“O course yore not,” Piett agreed seriously. “So. Me princess.”

And his mind’s eye was filled with her suddenly and he could see her, slim and brave---a fierce presence.

“She…..is a lot like me Lady. She’s so verra brave even though she’s not much taller than ye, Mareet. She has shining brown hair and big brown eyes, the bonniest ye can imagine.”

“Does that mean she’s beautiful?”

“So beautiful,” he agreed, and smiled to himself when he realized that Max was asleep. Varis, following his eyes, noted this and she was tugging the thin blanket over the General very carefully before resuming her place at his feet.

Piett nodded to her and continued. “And she’s a warrior---a Jedi.”

A collective gasp.

“Yis. And her sword is white and hot, just as brilliant as a star.”

“Have you seen her use it?” came an eager voice.

“Ah have. She’s saved me with it.” He stopped, smiling at the memory.

“And you love her.” This was a fact from a furry little Bothan child. 

“And ah love her so verra much,” Piett said, looking around, and seeing many sleepy faces.

“But now it raily is time far bed.”

“Is she coming for you, your princess?” asked Nyklos.

“She is,” Piett answered with absolute certainty. “She’s comin’ far all o’ us and we’ll go see ma Lady.”

Murmurs of excitement at this, and he hoped these children could sleep with at least a little hope. He watched as they all trickled away to their various bunks. When he’d awoken this morning, he had discovered Matt tucked between his back and the wall. The boy was currently wiggling into place to do so again, and Piett realized that he likely felt safe that way. 

He stood stiffly to lift Varis and move her to the bunk with Mareet who tucked the tiny girl into her arms. He rested a hand on the older child’s shoulder. 

“It’s going to be all right,” he told her softly. Her eyes didn’t believe him, but she nodded. He sighed and went back to lie down beside Matt who curled tightly against his back, and Piett felt a small hand pat his shoulder as the child reassured himself that safety was there. 

_ One more day _ , thought Piett. 

  
  



	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin continues down the road of remembering who he was as he prepares for the mission. Some of the children try to escape, and there are consequences for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was both good and difficult to write. Good because of Anakin's arc and his growth. Difficult because, well, the angst muse was strong in this chapter and the next.

Anakin wanted to pace. He was the commander, no one would call him on it. 

Well. That was the issue wasn’t it? No one would call him on it. 

He glanced at Captain Kelly once more and hoped he wasn't giving the man a complex. Kelly was doing a supremely good job of ignoring these glances, but Anakin could feel his discomfort in the Force. 

And if he paced in his impatience, Kelly would go on ignoring him like the good officer he was. There would be no raised eyebrow with worlds of meaning behind it. No little quirk of the mouth at his expense. No ‘May I help you with something, my Lord?’ with all sorts of polite and understated mockery meant.

<Dark one, you miss my Admiral, the Lady told him.>

Could he admit to missing friends? Even to the Lady? It still felt as though he didn’t deserve such a luxury. 

<I….yes, I suppose I do, Lady. I shall see him soon of course.>

<I also miss my Admiral. And if he is harmed, I wish to destroy this location to which we are travelling.>

<Lady…..we have discussed this.>

<You may remove the beings within it first, if you wish, Dark One.>

<Well  _ thank you _ , Lady. To my knowledge, he is unharmed at the moment.>

<You have wished to destroy those who have harmed him in the past. So has the Dear One. Why must _I_ hold back?>

She continued to amaze him as she grew. 

<Yes, that is true. But there is a difference between  _ feeling _ that way and acting upon it. Your solution is better, Lady: destroying something inanimate---much like I train with the battle droids you control. And you  _ know _ why you must hold back more than we.>

<I am far more powerful than you are, she agreed.>

<Well…..Anakin wondered about that. Was she?>

  
  


<If she could sigh, she would have. It would be much simpler for you all if I just destroyed the location from orbit. Less loss of life for my crew, and less of the evil ones you seek to eradicate.>

He couldn’t deny that such an idea held a great deal of appeal. 

<But then we cannot bring them to trial. We would lose the connections they have to other criminals. And if we just slaughtered them all, it makes us no different from them.>

<Is this the concept of: justice?>

<Yes, exactly, he responded.>

<Very well. My Admiral speaks of justice a great deal. He values it, so must I.>

<I _value_ it! Anakin said indignantly.>

<Amusement from her. Yes, Dark One. But….you would also slag these beings if you felt that you could get away with it, yes?>

< _ Force _ . I’m not dignifying that with a response, he told her primly.>

The lights flickered slightly. The Lady was laughing at him.

“Captain,” he said aloud to Kelly, “I will be in my quarters, getting ready.”

“Yes, my Lord.” He could feel the waves of relief from the younger man.

Fair enough, he supposed. He had been hovering, admittedly. He entered his quarters and contemplated the box once more. 

He hadn’t worn it yet. Was still processing the enormity of the gift, and how very deeply he didn’t deserve it. He opened the lid again and stared at the silver grey armor, neatly stacked inside. He ran his finger over the royal crest of Naboo, painted in beautiful detail on the left breast plate.

_ Ani, they said you killed younglings! _

“I’m trying to atone, my angel,” he whispered. “I will spend my life doing so.” He had no idea if she could hear him. Sometimes he liked to imagine that she and Obi-Wan were somewhere warm and happy, waiting for him. Possibly messing around with Fives and Hardcase and Tup.…

…..whose vod’e had made this for him. *

And it would be an insult not to wear it, he had been informed. Reverently, he lifted the armor out, appreciating its solid and skilled make once again. It was dominantly silver to symbolize that he was seeking redemption. Each color here had deep and significant meaning for him. But today. Today he was indeed seeking redemption and justice. He gazed at the black pauldron with the Jedi order’s symbol. 

Then, nodding to himself, he placed it on his shoulder and did up the straps, reaching more confidently for the other pauldron and donning the rest of the armor without any further qualms. 

_ May the Force allow him to return each of these little ones to family. Today he was Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight and seeker of justice. _

He exited his quarters and made his way down to the largest bay on the Lady where their ships were getting ready to deploy the moment they hit the Eriadu system.

He could sense Luke and Leia there, and spotted them talking together seriously near one of the troop transports. Solo was nearby, doing some sort of work on the Falcon (because of course he was. Anakin rolled his eyes). 

Fox was gesturing to a holo map with his squad leaders gathered around for last minute instructions, while Madine was clearly enjoying bossing the life out of his troops. Henley was overseeing the equipment and supplies being loaded into all their medical transports (And they were using them _all_ ) to prepare for receiving all of the children. 

As he entered, a hush gradually fell over the bay and he was puzzled.

_ Oh. The armor….maybe it had been a mistake... _

Then.

The 501st stood as one and snapped to attention.

_ Kriff it, he wasn’t going to be emotional now, when things were so important…. _

And Fox came forward slowly and stood at the head of his men, slowly raising his own hand in salute.

“General Skywalker. Sir. Your men are ready for your orders.”

He did not have tears in his eyes---he didn’t.  _ How many years had it been since he had led the 501st like this? Free and as himself? _

“Thank----,” he stopped fearing his voice cracking, and he was damned if he was going to let Fox of all people see him breaking. “Hem. Thank you, Commander. We’ll be ready soon.”

He could feel Luke's warm support in the Force.

“General!” rapped out one of the troopers and he recognized Appo.

“Yes, trooper?”

“It’s good to have you back, sir.”

“Thank you, Appo. It’s an honor.”

  
  


*****

Piett opened his eyes and knew immediately that something was wrong. He sat up and took stock. Veers still slept across from him, but he was sweating and flushed and restless. 

_ Hang on, Max. _

Some of the children were already up, but many were still sleeping. 

So what was wrong?

Matt.

Matt was gone from where he had cuddled at Piett’s back. He rose and stretched a bit (that mattress was not even usable as a doormat) and moved outside to look for the tell tale red head. 

He saw numerous children moving about, and some waved at him. But no Matt. 

He went back inside the barracks, trying to quell the dread he was feeling in his stomach. This was a large compound---he could be anywhere. He moved through each building, but no eager blue eyes met his. No grin or freckled nose were apparent. 

He had searched for about twenty minutes and returned to the original barracks. Veers was just sitting up and his friend looked very unwell indeed.

“Max,” Piett said in concern, coming to him. 

The General’s hair was damp with sweat and the dark circles under his eyes spoke of the need for true rest.

He put aside his hunt for Matt for the moment to kneel by his friend. 

“Let me see,” he said, laying careful hands near the wound and feeling the ominous heat of infection already. 

He didn’t need to see it as he unwound the bandage. He could smell the infection and as the wound came into view, he hissed. Red inflammation and discoloration all around the wound.

“Son of a Hutt,” he said under his breath, “Damn Max, we need to get you to the ship.”

“Today is the day, Admiral,” his friend said tiredly. “Nothing we can do at the moment.”

“Well. I can destroy more of my shirt,” Piett told him, smiling ruefully and doing just that. Max actually gasped as he wound the fresh piece of material over the wound.

“You’re bothered about something,” Veers said, holding himself rigidly against the pain as he watched him. 

“Take your pick,” Piett sighed, “but yes, I can’t find Matt anywhere.”

“It is a big compound, Firmus, with lots of children. He’s bound to be somewhere.”

Piett agreed with this rationally, but his gut still twisted with that  _ sense _ of foreboding.

“Yes. I…. I don’t know, Max it’s just a bad feeling….”

“Almost there,” Veers said. Piett considered him. 

“Would you like to go out, General, or rest in here?”

“Fresh air, please,” his friend returned, and Piett willingly got an arm under him and they made their slow way outside.

He lowered Veers to a spot leaning against the metal fence near the barracks, and waited for a tiny blonde imp to join them. But there was no sign of Varis either. 

And a wave of cold realization hit Piett. 

“No….” he whispered. 

“What is it, Firmus?” Veers asked tiredly. 

“I think…. Mareet said she knew how to get out. And they were all captured together…..she wouldn’t leave them behind….”

“Piett. I’m sorry, this fever is making me slow. What are you saying?”

“I think Mareet took Matt and Varis and tried to escape.”

The General’s eyes were big in his haggard countenance. 

“Well nine hells. We pray that our friends get here before they’re discovered then.”

But lunch came and went before any news could be confirmed. Piett knew that help was coming at any moment, and he was praying that maybe, just maybe the children could evade capture until they could be found by the New Republic forces. 

But the Force was not listening to him apparently.

A scuffle at the main gate shortly after the lunch ration had been distributed brought everyone's attention to the area, and then the Boss himself entered, followed by his men dragging three tired children with them. 

“Gather everyone!” the Boss rapped out, and his men herded the rest of the children toward the pen that Veers was leaning against.

Matt and Varis were weeping, but Mareet was doing her utmost to be brave, her delicate features set in dread and grey eyes massive in her white face as she found Piett’s gaze. The Boss nodded at the two men holding her and she was hauled over to the two wooden posts as he uncoiled something from his belt.

Piett wanted to be sick. He understood the ‘punishment’ now. 

“Pay attention!” the Boss called. “This is what happens when you disobey. They will demonstrate that for you!”

Never. Never in any galaxy while Piett drew breath would he allow it.

“No,” he said clearly, resisting the guards trying to urge him to the pen the others were being shoved into.

“Piett!” Veers said urgently as blasters were trained on the Admiral immediately. 

“You will not touch her,” Piett snarled, and in that moment he wanted to destroy. He wanted blood and vengeance. Had Vader felt like this when he desired to murder? he wondered vaguely. 

“You can do nothing except get shot, Admiral,” said the Boss coldly, and Piett ignored him in favor of looking into Mareet’s desperate eyes, so full of fear.

“You could do that yes,” he said calmly, feeling weirdly detached and only focused on the child being roughly held in place as the Boss uncoiled his whip and Mareet trembled. “Or….” he took a breath, ruthlessly crushing his demons, and resolutely trying to assure Mareet as he smiled into her eyes. “Or you could let me take her place.”

“ _ Firmus _ ,” he could hear the anguish in Max’s voice--- appreciated that his friend knew what this was costing him--- but he could never allow a child to go through this.

The Boss gazed at him in cold consideration. And then….

_ Admiral. We are planetside. _

Piett had to wrench his mind to respond.

_ Good, my Lord. _

_ It is possible that communications got out before we jammed their system. I am coming to you to ensure that this remote is not used. If possible, do what you can to make sure of that. _

_ Yes, my Lord. _

“Take me!” Veers called as he was shoved roughly into the pen with the children. “I will take her place!”

The Boss grinned ferally. “Ah, General. The very fact that it bothers you so much that it be the Admiral is merely an added bonus as far as I’m concerned.”

“Max,” Piett said warningly, turning to glance at his friend. “You are injured.” 

“Very well, Admiral Piett, you may take her place. In fact, because I’m so benevolent, you can replace each of them. 10 strokes apiece.”

Mareet was shoved roughly away and Piett came to meet her, briefly catching her in his arms and she was crying now.

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed, “I’m sorry, please…”

“Not your fault darling,” he told her before they were separated roughly, and the three children were tossed into the pen with the others. Varis immediately clung to the General as Piett was shoved toward the Boss.

“Jacket off,” he commanded, smiling nastily and Piett complied, dropping it to the ground.

_ Force give him the strength to get through this. He had before.  _

A cartel member came up to the Boss. “Sir! An urgent communication…!”

“I’m busy,” the Boss growled. He liked it, Piett realized. He was the sort of man who liked to show dominance and inflict pain to keep others in line. Piett would enjoy the arrival of the 501st. He rather hoped that they didn’t leave any of them alive. Still, he thought he knew what that communication was, and he needed to keep the Boss from taking it. 

“Beating children. You must be so proud of your career choice,” he told him with his very best Imperial sneer.

The Boss narrowed his eyes. “I’ll enjoy this, Piett. On your knees. You may not be that tall, but this was designed for….smaller beings.”

Head high, Piett slowly sank to his knees. 

“You  _ bastard _ ,” he heard Max swear, and was half tempted to remind him that children were present. His wrists were manacled to each post.

“Sir….your urgent comm….”

“I--am-- _ busy _ !” snapped the Boss.

_ Good _ , thought Piett, even as he braced himself for what was coming.

“Yes, sadism waits for no man,” he commented.

“You’ve got spine, Admiral, I’ll give you that,” the Boss snapped. “Let’s see it shall we?”

And Piett met Veers’ angry, agonized gaze as the first blow tore across his back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *See Protection Chapter 4 by Morwen_of_Gondor for the story of this armor and a picture of it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin arrives. As does the 501st.

Veers watched in horror as his friend went to his knees, glaring at the Boss the whole time. 

“Force  _ damn _ it, Piett,” he hissed as Varis clung to his left side, and Matt to his right. 

Veers knew just what this would cost his friend. And it was costing him as well—- he had sworn to himself he would never let this very thing happen to the Admiral. 

_ Never again. _

_ But….neither could they allow it to happen to the children. _

How Veers  _ hated _ the Boss. Hated him for being involved in this foul practice. For being willing to beat a child. For raising his hand to his dearest friend. For not allowing Veers to take his place.

Piett met his eyes with resolute hazel ones, and Veers flinched with him when the first blow was struck. 

Mareet was crying softly, and Nyklos came to her side to put his arm around her silently and provide support. 

“My fault,” she wept, and Veers would not have that.

“No dear,” he told her firmly, watching as Piett bit his lip until the blood came, but refused to make a sound.

“Neither the Admiral nor myself would let such a thing happen to children while we can do something about it. You are not at fault.  _ None _ of you are.”

He could see she was struggling to believe him. He got his arms around the two little ones at his sides, feeling their hot tears soaking into his shirt. 

By the tenth blow, Veers could see his friend’s blood, and had angry tears in his own eyes. But what else could Piett have done? The General felt a great deal of hatred for the universe at the moment for allowing this to happen. 

_ Where was Lord Vader?  _

The Boss paused, panting after the 15th stroke, and smiled nastily. 

“Well you certainly know how to take a beating, I must say.”

Piett’s harsh breathing echoed in the courtyard, and the children were deathly silent as the Boss turned to address them.

“You see what happens? There won’t be any more running will there?” He took a drink of water and wiped away the sweat on his bald forehead. 

“I see why Vader picked you. Tough little kriffer aren’t you?” he said mockingly, and Piett raised his head to glare.

_ Damn, Firmus, I’m so proud of you. _

“I am Lord Vader’s Admiral. I still carry that title, and you will come to regret every action in your miserably short life you gutless bastard.”

_ Did Piett know something _ ….? Veers suddenly had hope.

The Boss laughed. “Well, your Lord isn’t here at the moment,  _ Admiral _ , and by my count you still have fifteen to go.”

He raised his hand again, and Veers could see Firmus bracing himself….

…. when hope arrived. 

It almost happened too fast for the General to see.

Had…...had Lord Vader  _ leapt _ that fifteen foot energy barrier? 

The man landed perfectly next to the Boss, brilliant purple blade flashing and suddenly the whip arm was lying on the ground.

“Did your men not announce my arrival?” his Lordship purred, and Veers saw that he was clad in the gorgeous armor the vod’e had made for him, shining silver and deadly. 

_ Jedi knight indeed. _

He stood as a shield between Piett and the Boss who was still gaping at his severed arm in shocked disbelief. 

“This is indeed my Admiral. And you will die for laying a hand on him.”

Veers had never enjoyed hearing such a declaration more.

  
  


******

He could feel Piett’s pain and flung himself off the speeder outside the walls of the containment area. He knew Fox and his men were minutes behind him, but he couldn’t wait. The Admiral likely wasn’t aware that he was transmitting his feelings like this, but the power of them spurred him on.

_ Father! _

_ His daughter’s voice in his head and of course she could feel this too.  _

_ I am here, my daughter, he told her, leaping the wall. _

_ Should I come? _

_ Not yet. Finish your task. _

_ He could feel her grief at not being there.  _

_ Kill them, she sent to him grimly. _

_ I know, he sent to her in equal measure, bringing his saber down to slice through the arm of the man who had dared…. _

Anakin took in the situation, and fought against the dark inferno inside that threatened to consume him at the sight of Piett’s shredded back. 

“This is indeed my Admiral,” he informed the craven piece of filth that was gaping at his own arm. “And you will die for laying a hand on him.” 

Blaster fire was coming at him now from the rest of the guards who had caught up to the situation, and he almost casually put out a hand to stop it. 

“But...but you aren’t Vader,” stammered the walking dead man dumbly as Anakin waved a hand at the manacles holding Piett, and his Admiral dropped to hands and knees with a swiftly repressed gasp of agony.

_ Anakin wanted to gut the man who had caused that sound right now. _

But his Admiral was keeping his wits about him, despite his suffering.

“My Lord,” he panted, “the remote, you must…”

“Ah yes,” Anakin said, summoning it from the bald man’s belt. He could hear the noise outside now as Fox and his men began obliterating the enemy. 

“You are partially correct,” Anakin said, continuing to effortlessly block blaster fire with his lightsaber. “I  _ was _ Vader. My true name is Anakin Skywalker. It is time for the galaxy to know that. And it’s time for you to die.”

He raised his hand, and Piett stopped him once more. 

“The children, my Lord, don’t let them see…”

_ Force, how he admired this man and his dedication to protect others.  _

“Very well,” said Anakin calmly, and he raised the Boss high into the air with the Force, enjoying his screams, and then flung him out over the fence to land somewhere among the oncoming 501st. __

And then the energy barrier disappeared and his men were there, ruthlessly and effectively taking out the guards within the compound as Anakin himself knelt by Piett.

“Admiral,” he said gently, as the man managed to sit back on his heels and meet his eyes. “Why…?”

“My Lord…..” Piett sounded so very tired, but he was still clearly on duty in his own mind. “He was going to beat a child and I couldn’t….”

Of course he couldn’t. 

_ Why did it have to be Piett? Anakin knew about his past now. Knew what this must have cost his Admiral to willingly submit himself to. This man’s courage…. _

“Medical transports are on their way,” Anakin informed him, wishing he had something on him to relieve Piett’s pain. 

“Good,” Piett breathed. “Because General Veers has a bad leg wound. And, sir, we should destroy the remote in case….”

He stopped, eyes startled at the sound of the remote being reduced to powder in Anakin’s anger. There was a distinct mark on the back of Piett’s neck….”

“Admiral.” His voice was glacial. “Were you and the General chipped as well?”

Piett sighed. “Yes, my Lord. Please, can we deal with that on the Lady? We need to help the children…”

Anakin was reminded of the others, and gestured to the metal gates in front of them. He saw too, that Veers wouldn’t be able to walk to them on his own, but suddenly Fox was there, helmet off and shoulder under the General’s arm.

“The children are terrified,” Veers informed the clone commander, as they limped over. “Once things are secure, could you instruct your men to remove their helmets? Show them that you are people?”

“Yes, sir,” said Fox curtly, and then spoke into his comlink for a medic as a young lieutenant came to kneel on Piett’s other side.

“Admiral….” he breathed, taking in his commanding officer’s wounds and raising angry eyes to meet Anakin’s. “Please tell me, my Lord, that the armless man who dropped from the sky was the one responsible.”

He liked the boy. Anakin smiled grimly at him. “He was, lieutenant. I trust the fall killed him?”

“Well that, and about fifty blaster shots, my Lord, yes.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“Sir,” said the young man, addressing his Admiral, and digging at his belt, “may I give you a painkiller?”

“Thank you, Scraps,” Piett managed, and was able to straighten more fully once it was administered. “Could you help me up?” he asked, and Veers growled.

“Firmus, you’ve done enough…”

His Admiral rose unsteadily to his feet with Scraps’ help. 

“Max, I’ll live. These little ones are terrified and I’m not going to leave them with strangers, no disrespect to you, my Lord, Commander Fox.”

Anakin recognized what Veers had dubbed the Admiral’s ‘stubborn bastard mode’ and sighed.

“I will allow that Piett, provided you get a field medic to give you basic treatment first.” He saw Scraps speaking into a comlink out of the corner of his eye. 

The children were making their cautious way out of the pen, and even as he watched, both Piett and Veers tried to project a more confident and reassuring presence, despite the fact that both of them really ought to be unconscious right about now. 

Anakin wasn’t sure if he’d ever been prouder to serve with them. 

  
  


****

The children weren’t sure what to think. He appreciated Fox and his men taking off their helmets and speaking kindly to them. Varis was a tiny blonde presence clinging to Veers’ leg. But somehow he needed to reassure all of them that these were the good guys--these were the friends he had spoken of. 

He spotted Mareet, hanging back and looking far more haggard than any 9 year old had a right to be. She didn’t want to meet his eyes. He managed to let go of Scraps and opened his arms to her.

“Mareet, come here.”

She came immediately, and he ignored the raging fire in his back to fold her closely to him.

“I’m so sorry,” she sobbed into his shirt. “I didn’t believe you---I didn’t think anyone was really coming…”

“Of course you didn’t,” he assured her, “After everything that happened to you? My dear, you were so brave to try and escape and save the others.”

“But….but if I had  _ listened _ to you he wouldn’t have…”

And if he could do just one thing for this little girl it would be to assure her forever of this.

“Sweetheart,” he said firmly, “nothing that has happened here is your fault. Should they have taken you from your family?”   
  


“No,” muffled into his chest.

“Should they have threatened to hurt you?” he asked, stroking her hair. 

“No.”

“Should he have blamed any of you for the things  _ they _ did?”

“No,” she whispered.

“Exactly, darling,” he said, tightening his arms and new fire erupted in his back. He ignored this for something more important. “And there was no way in the galaxy that I, as an adult, was going to let him beat you. Not when I could do something about it. I would do it again, and more, to spare you that.”

She sniffed and he patted her back. “You did everything you could to help the others with you. I’m so proud of you. Now. Can you help me with something?”

She pulled back a little to look at him. “What do you need?”

“I need you to help me tell the other children that these are the good guys, and we’re here to help you. We’re going to take you up to my Lady as promised. Ships are coming to do that. Can you help me reassure the others?”

She nodded, and he kissed her forehead gently. 

“All right then.”

She moved off to obey, and he felt Lord Vader’s eyes on him as he looked up to see both his Lordship and Veers regarding him. 

“What?” he asked.

Lord Vader gave him one of his rare, uninhibited smiles. 

“Just...I am reminded once again, as I believe the General has said before, that you really are the best of us, Piett. It’s an honor to serve with you, Admiral.”

He knew he was flushing and Veers smiled. “Agreed.”

“Admiral,” interposed Scraps, “the medic wants to treat your back, sir.”

An empty weapons crate was shoved over for him to sit on, and as he did so a fiery little whirlwind arrived to clutch at his knees.

“Careful,” Scraps warned in full protection mode.

“Admiral,” said Matt, lifting shining blue eyes to Piett’s. “Mareet says we’re going to the Lady? Are we? Will she turn the lights for you?”

Piett smiled at the boy’s enthusiasm even as he felt the medic carefully examining his wounds. 

Over Matt’s head he could see that Veers had at last been persuaded to sit as well, and Varis was at his side like a tiny queen. 

“Yes, Matty,” Piett responded, placing a hand on the red mop. “Yes to it all.”

“Sir,” said the medic, “I’m going to need to cut the remains of this shirt off, and get it out of the cuts to spray the antibiotics and bacta on your back.”

_ And that was going to be terrible, but there was nothing for it. _

“Just do it then,” he said, “Let’s get it over with. Lieutenant if you could perhaps take Matt somewhere else for a bit….”

Scraps was quick on the uptake. “Yes, Admiral. Your name’s Matt? That’s amazing because that’s my name too!”

_ What. How had he not known that? _

He shot his lieutenant a look and Scraps grinned at him, handing him a fresh shirt.

“How…?”

“I commed one of the troopers to bring one from the stuff they confiscated over near the ‘sales’ area, sir.”

“Lieutenant.”

He met Scraps’ eyes. “I’m glad to have you.”

The smile he received was blinding as Scraps led Matt away to give Piett some semblance of privacy.

“All right, Admiral, I’m giving you a localized numbing agent. It won’t take away all the feeling, but it should help.”

“Yes,” Piett answered, and he noticed the raging inferno quieting a bit. He felt the medic cutting the shirt and braced himself for it to be pulled away, when suddenly a cool relief spread over his enraged nerves and muscles, and he raised his head to stare into large brown eyes that were simultaneously filled with compassion and rage. 

“Thank you, my dear,” he told her, knowing it was her power providing the reprieve from pain. She took his hands.

“My Father informs me that he already killed the man. I confess to being a bit disappointed.”

He gripped her hands as he felt the medic remove the shreds of his old shirt, but there was minimal pain thanks to his princess, and he bowed his head to touch hers.

“I would do it again, your highness.”

“I know,” she said softly. “And I know why you did it, Admiral of mine. I wish you could know just how deeply I love you.”

He smiled. “I do.”

“There you are, sir,” the medic declared, “but you’re going to need a full bacta treatment…”

“I expected as much,” Piett sighed. “Thank you.”

He picked up the shirt Scraps had procured, but it was lifted gently out of his hands, and the princess held it for him so that he could move his arms as little as possible to get it on. She shifted to get under his arm and he stood once more, appreciating that she was the perfect height for him to rest his arm on her shoulders.   
  
First though, she did up the buttons for him and then took his face in her hands. “This beard is quite disreputable,” she told him with a smile. “Now, dearest Admiral, what do you need to do? I will assist you with it, but I would ask that you recall that I have the Force and I will know when it is time for you to rest. So. Can we agree that I will assist you, and in turn you will listen to me when I say that you need to be done?”

He grinned into those large eyes. “Yes, my princess, I can obey that.”

“Is she your princess?” piped up a small voice, and they turned to see one of the children gaping at the petite Jedi warrior who had secured herself under his arm in support.

“Yes,” he said, ignoring Veers who was grinning ridiculously at him nearby as the medics worked on his leg and, further out in the open area, medical transports began to land.

It was important that Piett convince these children that the ships were safe so they could get to the Lady as swiftly as possible. 

“It’s the princess!” the child exclaimed, and suddenly numerous little ones were crowding around curiously.

_ Perhaps it would be easier than he thought. _

“He told us about you,” stated a Togruta child eagerly. “He promised you would come.”

“Did he?” his princess said, gently pressing her arm around his waist. 

“Bedtime stories,” Veers put in quietly, somehow immune to Piett’s stern look.

“Do you really have a sword like a star?” asked Matt, returning to stand on Piett’s other side.

She unclipped her lightsaber and he nodded to her. “It would help to have them trust you as well,” he murmured.

“Stand back,” she ordered, “Because it is hot and dangerous just like a star.” 

Her white blade hummed into life, and Piett had the privilege of witnessing the hero worship blossom in the little faces before him. 

“Just like a star!”

“It’s so bright!”

“She’s so beautiful.”

“A real princess….”

She extinguished the blade. “My name is Princess Leia,” she told the crowd, “and I’m here to help take you up to the Lady with the Admiral and the General.”

“He said he loved you very much,” said a Corellian girl earnestly.

“Well,” his princess replied, finding his eyes, “good, because I feel the same way about him.”

“And that’s why you came for him?”

Her hand squeezed his shoulder gently. “Yes, but we also came for  _ you _ .”

Piett straightened as much as he could so he could pitch his voice for as many of the children to hear as possible. 

“The ships landing behind us are here to take you to the Lady,” he called out over them. “These men who are here are my friends, and they are here to rescue us. And this,” he turned to smile at the glossy brown head by his shoulder, “this is my princess, the Jedi warrior, and she is here for you too. Would you like to come with us?”

Nods and a few smiles. Best he could hope for really. 

“The people on these ships are doctors!” he said loudly. “They will make sure you are all right and give you food and new clothes.”

“Will you be there?” Nyklos asked.

“Yes,” Piett said, “I promised I would be, and I will come with you as will General Veers and the princess.”

“You promised to show us how the Lady changes her color for you,” piped up another little girl.

“And I will,” he replied, “but that will happen once we’re in space.”

A little more excitement from the group.

“Will we see the stars?” Matt asked with keen anticipation.

“Yes, Matt. You’ll see the stars.”

He paused and looked at them all, hoping he could bring as many happy reunions as possible.

“And then, we’ll look for your families, the Lady and my friends and I.”

Another light squeeze of approval from his princess.

“Let’s go then,” he ordered, and turned to Fox to start organizing groups.

“You used your other voice,” Matt said at his knee, “do they not understand the real one?” He gestured to Fox and his men.

A pang swept him and he glanced to Veers, who gave him support and understanding with a look, while his princess looked puzzled.

“This…..is the voice they are used to Matt,” he answered slowly and then smiled at the boy.

“Oh.”

“Your ‘other’ voice?” her highness murmured.

“A bit of a long story, my dear.”

“I shall ask you later then,” she replied easily, and he leaned upon her as they organized the little ones.

  
  



	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At long last, the Admiral and the General return to the Lady. Piett keeps another promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost there! I must say this turned into a much more major story than I had anticipated. But I didn't want to rush such an important mission. Thank you so much for joining me with it. One more chapter after this to wrap things up! :)

Veers couldn’t walk and he hated it. He recalled Piett’s extended struggle with his knee and sympathized more deeply with his friend. 

Commander Fox used his spot on the weapons crate as a base point for groups of children before they were escorted to different medical transports. 

He was determined to hold out at least as long as his stubborn Admiral friend, despite disapproving medics. They had shot him full of antibiotics and cleaned his leg (which had been terrifically unpleasant despite pain killers) which was really all that could be done until they reached the Lady, and he would no doubt be condemned to bacta.

He took some comfort in the fact that Piett would undoubtedly share the same fate, and watched as the Admiral moved slowly from group to group assuring them as they were taken to different transports by the medics and 501st. 

Veers glanced down at his tiny guardian, perched at his side. Varis had refused to join Matt and Mareet even though they were in a different group, waiting to board a transport. She’d shaken that white blonde head vehemently, and clung to him. He didn’t know why she felt so secure with him, but he was more than happy to provide that for her.

He looked up as Commander Fox came to stand near him.

“Almost there, sir.”

“Very good, Commander.”

“Difficult to do this job,” Fox grumbled in a lower tone.

“Sorry?” Veers asked.

“Nothing, sir, just talking to myself. Wishing I wasn’t always condemned to chasing damn fool commanding officers around.”

_ Was this directed at him? _

“Oh yes?”

Fox was looking determinedly anywhere but at the General. 

“Did enough worrying over whether everyone had their life and limbs twenty years ago, was really hoping not to go through it again.”

“Fox, are you…..?”

“Just rambling, sir, while we wait.”

_ Right _ .

“Wishing that when officers have security details they wouldn’t shed them at the first opportunity.”

“Commander it really sounds as though….”

“Nothing personal, sir, just commenting on life.”

“Filling the time as it were,” Veers said dryly.

“Naturally,” Fox replied without moving a facial muscle. 

“Sometimes there are situations where security details can’t be there,” Veers commented, watching Fox.

“There  _ shouldn’t _ be,” the clone groused, watching Piett and the princess. “Not as though the detail might be attached so to speak. Not like we need to consider _that_ of course.”

“Of course,” Veers echoed, and was rewarded with an eyebrow twitch from the commander.

“Younger officers can get worried. Take Goolsby for example.”

“Was Goolsby w…..?”

“Not saying he  _ was _ , just that he  _ could _ be.”

“Fox, are we speaking about me, here, because…?”

“Not being specific or anything, General. Just grumbling about life really. Which is of course, something we’d like to see you keep.”

_ That was…. _

He looked sharply at the man, but Fox was the galaxy’s best sabacc face. 

“Well. I will, thanks to you and others.”

“I suppose so. No thanks to you getting shot and what have you, but yes.”

_ Had he just been lectured? _ _  
  
_

“Fox.”

“Sir.”

“You have a breathtaking amount of cheek.”   
  


“I am sure I don’t know what you mean, General,” the commander said with icy cool calm. “But it looks as though we’re finishing up, so let’s get you on board the transport, sir.”

And the head of his security team rested his gloved hand very briefly on Veers’ shoulder before moving to summon Goolsby over. 

Veers could see that Piett was leading the last group onto a medical transport, and even as he observed this, the Admiral cast a quick glance over his shoulder and relaxed slightly as his eyes found Veers’. He gave a little nod.

_ Yes, Firmus, I’m coming, my over protective, stupidly brave friend.  _

He leaned heavily on Fox and felt a tiny hand clutching at his trouser leg on the other side. He put his hand down, and engulfed her little fingers in his as they made their way with the last group of children to their own transport.

  
  


*****

Leia moved with Piett, staying close when he needed to put out a hand to steady himself on her shoulder. His steel will was very apparent as he moved among the children to reassure them that all these medics and troopers were here to help.

She could sense her Father and her brother finishing with the prisoner transports several miles away at the other site and if she reached harder, she could sense Han as well. Her smuggler. She smiled.

_ They finished rounding up the buyers and the Reinholts themselves. The two brothers were glowering furiously at Luke who stood by them calmly, lightsaber humming at his side to remind them that attempting an escape would be a terrible idea.  _

_ Han had strode in with that confident stride which she had been secretly attracted to from the beginning and gathered her in his arms.  _

_ “Nice work your Highnessness,” he told her before claiming her lips. _

_ “Thank you,” she smiled, so relieved to have this mission be both successful and done. _

_ She reached once more in the Force and met her Father’s presence almost immediately. _

_ Can you come now?” he’d asked. _

_ Yes, is….? _

_ He could use you, was all he told her before ceasing his contact.  _

_ Han looked at her knowingly. “Go get our officers,” he said. “I’ll meet you up there. Don’t want Luke to misplace any of these reprobates.” _

_ She felt her brother’s scoff as she left to commandeer a speeder. _

She brought her attention back to the immediate and could feel Piett’s flagging energy. She moved closely to his side and he put his hand to her shoulder.

“Admiral dear,” she said quietly, “you need to be done now.”

He sighed in resignation. “Yes.” Then more loudly, “All right children this is your transport!”

“And I’m going with you?” Matt asked the Admiral, somehow at his knees once more and reminding Leia of nothing more than an overly enthusiastic Majell puppy. But there was a sort of desperation in his eyes as well. Piett had become his surety in a world turned upside down and the child was clinging to that. 

She smiled at the little boy, who became bashful at her gaze and tucked into an older girl. 

“Where’s Varis?” the girl asked the Admiral and he smiled at her, reaching to get his arm over thin shoulders. 

“She is going with General Veers in that transport over there, Mareet. She’ll be just fine. But thank you for checking.”

Leia sensed a connection here and realized that this must be the little girl that Piett had protected.

“Ok,” the child said, glancing shyly at Leia.

“And…..are you coming too, your highness?”

“Absolutely,” Leia responded as Scraps joined them with the last of the children, and Mareet gave Leia a tentative smile. 

Once on board, they were immediately intercepted by Henley himself who made a beeline for the Admiral and gave him a swift assessing look.

“Yes, you look exactly as scruffy as reported, and that is saying something,” he commented dryly, not missing the way that Piett was leaning heavily on Leia now. 

“Come back here,” he ordered, turning without waiting to see if they followed.

Her Admiral hung his head and sighed.

“Time to face the music,” he murmured as they moved through the milling children and doctors to one of the beds toward the back where Henley was waiting.

The opaque privacy field flickered into being once they were close enough.    
  


“All right, Admiral, I’ve been informed what happened,” the doctor told them, pulling out his scanner and a hypospray. “So. I’m going to clean the wounds again and you, sir, are going to be unconscious for that. And you had better believe that this means bacta.”

Piett eased himself up to sit on the bed sideways. “So I understood,” he said as Leia knelt to remove his boots for him.

She placed them under the bed as Henley finished the scan.    
  


“No infection, happily. And I don’t think I’ll need to do any surgery. It’s close on a few of these, but the bacta should handle it.”

“If I…” Leia began.

“I will allow you to do your hocus pocus, your highness, once we’re on the Lady and you are rested yourself. You can work on our Admiral when he comes out of bacta.”

She exchanged a look with Piett.

“And Admiral,” Henley continued, setting down the scanner and sounding suddenly very serious. 

“I just thought you should know how honored I am to serve with you. Thank you for protecting that child from such trauma.”

_ Powerful waves of emotion in the Force from her Admiral _ . 

And in that moment, as the Admiral nodded, unable to speak, Leia had confirmation of what she had suspected about Piett’s own childhood. 

She leaned in to kiss his temple.

“I’ll see you soon, dearest Admiral. Thank you Doctor.”

She patted Piett’s arm and stepped outside the barrier to meet the anxious gazes on a raft of little faces.

“Is the Admiral ok?” asked a Twi’lek boy standing by Mareet. 

Leia looked around, meeting Scraps’ eyes over the children’s heads.

“Yes,” she said nodding confidently, “but you know he was hurt, so our very best doctor is making sure he’s taken care of and then he needs to rest.”

“And….and he’ll heal him all the way?” asked Mareet, and Leia could sense the child’s guilt.

“Yes sweetheart,” she replied, making sure to envelop the girl in a firm hug. “He will.”

_ There may be other, non-physical traumas for her Admiral from this, but she would be there for that if he needed her. _

She and Scraps helped the medics occupy the children and hand out real food not ration bars as they made their way to the Lady. 

Kelly had been outstanding in making sure the ships were stocked with clothing and fresh fruits and cozy blankets—all things that were visibly helping the small beings scattered all around.

“What is it?” a little Dathomirian girl asked, eyeing the neon green fruit suspiciously. 

“Jocta fruit,” Leia told her cheerfully. “It’s very sweet and juicy, look.” She took one herself and had a bite. 

The others followed her lead enthusiastically. 

Scraps tapped her on the shoulder an hour later.

“Your highness, we’re about 35 minutes from the Lady now.”

_ Ah yes. Her Admiral had one more promise to keep. Henley wouldn’t like it. _

She rose and made her way back to the Doctor who was conferring with the other medics and doctors about their readings from the children. 

He pulled to the side as she approached.

“Doctor,” she said as sweetly as possible, “I realize that we would both like the Admiral to rest, but he made a promise to the children, that he would show them the Lady as we approached…”

Henley put his hand to his forehead.

“Your highness, that’s lovely, but the man is worn out, and in pain when he’s awake…”

“I do know that, Doctor,” she interrupted quickly, “but he  _ promised _ . Further, I know my Admiral and he will want to walk onto his own ship, especially with all these little ones watching…”

“ _ Force _ ,” Henley moaned. “You two are impossible. He’ll do absolutely anything for you if you just  _ think _ it, and apparently you do the same. _Fine_. But on the condition that he stays in bacta for as long as I say.”

“I’m sure that will be fine,” she said with her best smile, stepping with the Doctor through the energy screen. 

Piett lay sleeping on his stomach, and while the whip marks had been cleaned and covered in clear bacta bandages, Leia still felt a red haze before her vision and things trembled at her rage. 

“I know your highness,” Henley said with remarkable understanding, preparing a hypospray to wake him. “I feel the same way.”

“I knew you were my favorite doctor,” she told him, and they exchanged a rare smile with each other as Henley pressed the hypospray to the Admiral’s neck.

“Give him about two minutes,” he told her. 

He ducked out and she picked up Piett’s neatly folded shirt, and came to sit in the chair near his head.

He began to stir, and she reached to stroke the curling brown and grey strands over his ear. 

Piett opened his eyes and blinked at her, then smiled slowly.

“Ma darlin’ bonnie girl,” her Admiral said, not fully aware, and Leia felt her heart constrict at those musical lilting tones. 

So. 

His ‘real’ voice in some ways, coming from that wonderful big heart of his.

_ Such love.  _

“Is this what Matt meant by your real voice?” she asked him, smiling, and more awareness crept into his eyes as he flushed. 

“I didn’t…”

“I love it,” she interposed swiftly, moving to lay her lips on his forehead. “I like being called ‘bonnie’ very much and hope you will do so more often.”

He stared at her a moment, and then gratitude flashed into his eyes. “I love you,” he murmured.

“Admiral of mine,” she returned with a smile as he gripped her fingers, “you promised the children that you would show them how your Lady changes her colors. We’re getting close, and while I would prefer that you slept, I know that you need to keep your promises.”   
  


Piett became more alert. “Yes. Thank you, my dear.”

He pushed up carefully and Leia disobeyed Henley, reaching in the Force to alleviate as much pain as she could. He glanced at her sharply as he managed a sitting position, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

“Should you be doing….?”

“Shush. Of course I should. Here.”

And she helped him into the shirt once more, hunting out his boots as he did up the buttons. 

Once he felt as presentable as he could he nodded to her. 

“All right then. Let’s go see my Lady.”

  
  


****

He was so grateful for his princess as he was aware that he likely couldn’t have handled this if she wasn’t keeping his pain at bay. 

He stepped out and was promptly mobbed by numerous children, relieved and happy to see him. 

“Are you better now, Admiral?” Matt asked eagerly as the princess gently inserted herself to keep the children from greeting him too vigorously. 

“Almost Matt,” he replied as the boy moved to take his free hand, the princess having looped her arm in his to provide support. 

“ _ Now _ we’ll see the stars?” Matt pushed, his eager excitement so evocative of Piett’s own memories. 

“Now indeed,” he replied as they made their way to the area of the ship with the best viewports. It made his heart happy to see the joy of the children at the wealth of stars before them. In the distance were some of the more lovely nebulas in this sector, their soft pastel shades glowing gently in the velvet blackness of space. 

The little ones pressed against the viewports.

“Let the shorter ones be in front,” her highness called to them, over the happy murmurs. 

“Where is the Lady?” asked a girl, turning to look at them, eyes bright. 

_ Hope, Piett realized. These children had been given hope, and the life and exuberance it brought was palpable.  _

“Well….” he said, searching the stars for where he was roughly certain her coordinates would be. 

“Do you see that purple nebula and the green one? I believe she is between those.”

Numerous noses were pressed against the clear transparisteel, looking eagerly.

“How do you know?”

“I can’t see her!”

But Piett had years of experience in spotting the dark shape that was his Lady from far distances. He was sure now.

“Keep watching,” he encouraged the children, returning the gentle pressure the princess had given to his side.

Then.

“I see her!”

“You do not.”

“I do! Look, that’s blue, just like he said.”

Piett smiled. His Lady. How he had missed her.

The princess echoed his thoughts. “She missed you, you know,” her highness said. “Of course, she’s not best pleased with my Father at the moment either. She wanted to come closer and relieve her feelings with some destruction.”

He wasn’t sure if that should make him feel as cared for as he did, but the thought of his 19 kilometer warship wanting to defend him always left him gratified.

“Where is your Father?” he asked. 

“He should be following us shortly.” She paused and glanced up at him. “He’s um, destroying the compound himself. A mix of his feelings about the children, and slave chips and….what they did to you.”

He nodded quietly, his feelings on that still as raw as the stripes on his back. 

“Admiral dear?” she asked gently, no doubt feeling his turmoil.

“I….appreciate your Father’s feelings on the matter. I wish I could give him some assistance.”

“So do I,” she said in heartfelt tones, “but then I recall that I would rather be here with you.” She stopped again and looked out at the stars where the Lady was definitely becoming visible. “I did my destruction. I would like to heal now…..in every way that’s needed.”

He heard her meaning, and pressed her shoulder. “Thank you, my dear.”

_ How grateful he was for her. For Veers. For (and wasn’t this still a miracle?) Lord Vader. _

More choruses of “I can see her!” were echoing around. 

She was getting more obvious indeed.

“I can’t see,” came a voice at his knee and Matt’s five year old frustration was evident. “I’m still not bigger and I turned five ages ago!”

Piett smiled. “Well, I can sympathize with that, Matty. Here.” He bent carefully and lifted the boy, his back protesting along with the princess.

“ _ Admiral… _ ” She sighed but knew this was important.   
  


“There,” stated Piett, pointing at the small blue arrow getting ever closer.

“I see!” Matt exclaimed. “Does she know I’m coming too? Because it’s blue?”

He exchanged smiles with the princess.

“Perhaps, Matt.”

He wanted to hold onto this moment, rather than all the grief and strain and uncertainty leading up to it. This was why they had planned this so carefully. Why they would continue to hunt out this sort of thing.

So that children could be children, and get excited about stars and spaceships.

He tightened his arms around Matt, and was rewarded with that wide toothy grin and a little pat on the shoulder.

“Is that okay?” the boy asked. “It’s not hurting your back?”

“No Matt, that doesn’t hurt my back,” he said calmly, “thank you.”

He could feel those blue eyes on him for a moment. “You’re pretty brave,” the child said matter of factly. “Is it because you’re the Admiral?”

“No,” replied his princess with a smile, lifting the boy from his arms into hers. “It’s because he’s Admiral  _ Piett _ . And he is one of the very bravest men you will ever meet.”

Matt was evidently not quite clear on that distinction, but decided to let it pass in favor of watching the Lady growing in the viewport. 

Piett rested his arm across her shoulders once more. “Thank you, dear girl,” he murmured.

“Oooh,” said a pale red Ujasti. “She’s so pretty!”

“You have excellent taste, my dear,” he told her. 

“She’s even bigger than I thought!” exclaimed Nyklos as the Lady loomed ever closer.

“Does she know it’s you coming?” asked another child, and Piett angled a look at the princess.

“She knows,” she told him with a little smile. 

His Lady waited until she was filling the viewport.

“Watch now, children!” called her highness. “She knows her Admiral is almost back.”

There was quivering anticipation and all the children got quiet, waiting for the moment……

And his Lady suddenly shone like a pure space angel, illuminating all their faces.

A collective gasp of awe went up from the assembled little ones.

The smallest among them were jumping up and down in their excitement.

“She knows! She knows!”

“Admiral.” Matt squirmed in the princess’s arms to look at him. “She is the best ship.”

“Yes, Matt,” Piett agreed, placing his hands behind his back, and gazing at a sight he was never tired of. “She is indeed.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt, Varis, and Mareet get to go home. Anakin does his best to say thank you to his men.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so this adventure ends. Thank you all for reading! As noted, this got MUCH longer than I had thought it would be initially, but thanks for sticking with it!

Veers limped to the hangar bay, hating the fact that he had a limp, but glad to be in uniform and back on duty nonetheless. His preferred PT partner of choice was still not available however, for another three days, though he too was back on duty.

His Herd were glad to see him if he read their faces correctly, and Ellery was not hiding his beaming smile as he saluted his General vigorously.

“Sir! So very good to have you back, General!”   
  


“Ellery. It’s good to be back.”

And to be clean shaven once more.  _ Force _ .

_ And if he felt that strongly about it, he could only imagine how Piett had felt, being able to shave off the beard. _

He smiled slightly at the men, lined up outside their walkers. 

“Well. No doubt you have forgotten everything you ever knew in my absence. I will set about rectifying that. Or. More accurately---my assistant will set about rectifying that. I would advise not upsetting her.”

And he reached behind him to draw out the tiny blonde child who had pressed herself close to his leg as usual. 

“Varis, this is the Thundering Herd. Herd, meet Varis. She’s staying with us for a few days until her mother comes.”

There had been furious communication and consultation between Executor and Coruscant as efforts were coordinated to find the families of these children. The Lady was heading for a Mid Rim location at the moment, as it seemed to be the easiest location to connect the children to those looking for them. 

There were many happy endings waiting to occur. But there were also hard ones. Varis’ father had been killed in the raid by the slavers, and it was confirmed that both of Matt’s parents had been killed too. However, Mareet’s were safe and had already expressed their desire to adopt Matt. They too were on their way to the rendezvous point. 

For the next few days, the Lady was home to more children than had ever been seen upon her at one time. 

Piett had introduced them to the Lady and her happy yellow color almost as soon as he had set foot on her decks once more. This had delighted the little ones and set them more at ease. 

Kelly had done well in preparing numerous quarters near two sickbays for the children. With Baldwin’s help, they had also converted a smaller gym to a play area for the little ones.

Veers heard a rumor through the ship that one child had actually been found in engineering by Baldwin, but dismissed that as pure rumor. Because surely those looking out for the children hadn’t been that lax. 

He had seen the footage of the game of tag in the corridors. Fox was reportedly ignoring the fact that several of the 501st had been witnessed joining in. 

There had even been a rumor that Piett himself had been seen….well. Veers intended to corner his friend with that one personally. And if true, there would be holo evidence. 

For the moment, Veers had an inspection to conduct. The child looked torn between deep curiosity and powerful shyness. 

_ Oh well _ . He could lighten things slightly for her sake. 

He removed his cap and placed it on her head before lifting her in his arms. 

“Lieutenant Ellery, Commander Varis.”

Ellery gave her his best salute. 

“Commander Varis. The men are ready for your inspection,” he said with an utterly straight face and she gave a tiny smile.

Veers raised a severe eyebrow at several quivering lips down the line and his men straightened, becoming very solemn. 

He moved slowly down the deck.

“I want you to point to anyone that doesn’t look perfect, Commander Varis,” he told her.

She studied each man searchingly and very seriously, and pointed occasionally.

And Veers would say ridiculous things like, ‘wearing black boots and not pink? Disgraceful’ or ‘where is the feather in his cap? Did you forget that, trooper?’ and gradually the little girl began to smile more and more (as did his men, damn them) until, when they reached the end of the line Varis made a sound he hadn’t heard before from her.

She laughed.

He tightened his arms involuntarily.

“That’s right darling. You can do that now. Shall we go up into this walker and inspect from there?”

She nodded vigorously, excitement lighting her whole face. 

A cough from one of the men, and Veers shot a fierce look down the line. 

He was fully aware he would be hearing about this later, and now his men had the horribly mistaken impression that he might somehow not be ‘Iron’ which he would have to correct in the next weeks. 

But.

This little mite did not yet know that her father wouldn’t be carrying her around any more. Her mother would have to tell her that. So for now, Veers was making it his personal mission to ensure that her time here on the Lady was a sweet memory.

“Ensign Dalkis!” he barked, swinging on the man.

“Sir!”

“The Commander wishes to inspect the walker. Lower it if you please.”

“Yes, sir!”

And Varis giggled. 

  
  


****

Piett sighed and shifted, finally rising from his sofa and removing the uniform jacket to lay it neatly over the arm. 

He’d been informed that Henley had kept him in bacta for a full 24 hours though he had happily been sedated through that. He had vague memories of his princess in sickbay, gentle hands bringing further healing. He’d been released two days ago and plunged into the work of helping connect these children with their parents as well as get up to speed with what his Lady had been doing in his absence. 

His gaberwool was so wonderful to be in once more, and shaving had been nothing short of a miracle. But, he was finding he was still slightly tender, and the stiff uniform could rub painfully. He decided to stand and paced slowly in his quarters, reading the next operations report and recommendations from the various department heads. 

The report suddenly disappeared to be replaced with a picture of painkillers.

“Lady,” Piett said, looking up with a smile. “What have I said about the mother hen protocol? Not that I don’t appreciate the concern,” he added.

She flashed her lights in displeasure and replaced the picture with one of the princess. 

“She has been very helpful, Lady. But such things take a lot of her energy, and she needs that for how busy she is at the moment. I’ll be fine. May I have my report back now?”

A pause and the report flashed back on. He was utterly positive that somewhere in her circuits the Lady was sighing at him. 

And his door chimed. It had barely finished before the Lady was opening the doors to admit the princess. 

“My dear. I wasn’t expecting you.” He cocked a suspicious eyebrow at the ceiling. 

Her highness laughed and moved to set the tray she was carrying down on his table.

“The Lady has not been telling tales, if that’s what you are concerned with, Admiral of mine. I just….sensed you needed me.”

“Always,” he told her with a smile.

She came to stand before him. 

“May I help?”   
  


He took a moment, unsure of what she meant….

“My dear, you have done enough. It’s just a little tender, and that will go away soon.”

“You took your jacket off. Already. I know you---please let me, dearest Admiral. I promise I’m fine. I had 8 hours of sleep last night!” 

She smiled and laid a hand on his arm and…. he was not able to resist sincere brown eyes.

“Very well. Thank you.”

She had him sit backwards on his desk chair, and she rested her hands on his shoulders. 

And….that was…. _ marvelous _ . Her power never failed to amaze him. That she chose to use it for healing was just further demonstration of her wonderful spirit. 

Muscles that he hadn’t realized were tense as he pushed through the residual soreness of his injuries were relaxing, and suddenly he felt ridiculously sleepy.

Her small hand rested on his head and she laughed above him. 

“Not yet, Admiral. I brought dinner. Then you can sleep. And if this is the kind of relief you’re experiencing, I want you to ask for my help much sooner than this.”

“Mmm,” Piett responded, resting his head on his arms, “Perhaps I will.”   
  


“That doesn't look like the best place for a nap, Firmus.” 

_ And when had Max arrived? _

“I don’t know Max, I feel pretty comfortable.”   
  


He turned his head to see Veers watching him with a grin, hands on his hips. 

“What are you doing here anyway?”

“I was told that dinner was here. Which it is.”

“I hope you don’t mind, Admiral dear,” his princess said, with a final stroke to his head and he managed to haul himself off the chair, grateful that he was no longer even slightly sore. “I thought we could all discuss how the children’s reunions are going.”

“And clearly you needed her highness to do whatever she just did,” Veers said, assessing him, “you look better.”

“She is rather a gift,” Piett said fondly, moving to place his arm on her shoulders for a brief hug. 

“Thank you,” she told him as they settled on the sofa and chairs, respectively, and the princess served up the Minjulan stew which was the perfect thing with its blend of spices and fruit amongst the meat. 

“So how are things going on your end, my dear?” Piett asked after they finished. She was perched cross legged next to him on the sofa.

“Very well,” she replied. “There are unfortunately still children for whom we cannot find family, and so child services on Coruscant are working on that. Otherwise it’s just a matter of connecting families with their little ones. I...um, thought both of you ought to know that Mareet’s parents and Varis’s mother will be arriving tomorrow.”

And Piett met Max’s eyes across the way, and knew he didn’t need to ask if his friend felt the same pang he did at that news.

“That’s wonderful, your highness,” he said aloud. And it was. There were numerous little ones after all, who were not likely to get such a happy reunion. 

And yet….

He would miss hearing childish laughter, and talking to Matt about stars. He had taken him to the bridge this morning so he could view the stars as Piett did. The night before he had allowed the Lady to show the child a giant astro map in his conference room. The princess had brought cocoa and popcorn and sweet Mareet had slid in as well. They spent two hours with Matt grilling Piett on the various systems, lying on a pile of sofa cushions on the floor. He had loved every second. He could almost believe he was on a roof with his sister talking about the vast heavens above them. 

Across from them Veers cleared his throat.    
  


“Well. Very good indeed. Because rumor has it that our Admiral has been a bit….distracted from his duties at the moment.”

_ Where was Max going with this? _

“Meaning?” he asked suspiciously.

“Were you or were you not spotted on the ‘big’ slide Baldwin made, going down with the little ones who were too scared to do it on their own?”

_ Oh stars.  _

The princess gave him a blinding smile. 

“One asked, and I couldn’t say no to the other ones, General, what would  _ you _ have done?”

“Offered to do something else….”

“Like carry Varis around for inspection wearing your cap?” asked her highness innocently.

Piett gazed in a very pointed manner at his friend. 

“She laughed, Firmus. I will humiliate myself as often as necessary if that child can laugh again.”

They were all silent for a moment. 

“It was all worth it,” Piett said at last, “even though….” he paused, but these two would understand. He could tell them. 

“I am reminded once more that….there was a time I would have liked to be a father.”

An old ache, and one that didn’t often rear its head anymore. But this mission had required him to tap into that part of himself. And it had hurt nearly as much as the whip.    
  


Max nodded knowingly. “You would have been terrific, Firmus.”

“You are,” said his princess, moving to his side to lean on his shoulder and take his hand in hers. “You  _ are _ , Admiral of mine. I know it’s not quite the same. But….I hope you know who you are to me.”

He kissed her head, not able to speak. 

_ Yes. He did. But it was generous of her to remind him of the gifts he had here. Of the steel eyed brother across from him. Of his Jedi princess who loved him so well. Of his Lady who was even now flashing her golden shade at them to remind them how she felt.  _

“So,” said Veers with a deep breath. “We need to say good bye tomorrow.”

And his friend would struggle as well. 

“Yes,” said the princess softly. 

****

Anakin stood on the catwalk above one of the Lady’s smaller hangar bays and watched the small groups below. Several more families were reuniting and something in him felt warm about that. But today his attention was on one in particular. 

He watched as an emotional mother and father embraced his Admiral fiercely, having hugged their daughter to themselves first. Piett was exuding the kindness and competence that he was so very good at as he spoke with them, and then turned to take a knee so that the little red headed boy and the grey eyed girl could hug him as well. 

Veers was nearby speaking to a small woman who was as blonde as her daughter. The tiny girl was in his General’s arms, and Anakin was appreciating this glimpse of his officer as the father he had once been. He gave the child a gentle squeeze before handing her over with a tenderness that Anakin had not seen before. 

He could sense that all the children were indeed happy to be with their parents. But they still wept at this parting. 

He could feel his officers’ grief as well. One at being reminded of what he had lost, the other thinking of what he had never been given. 

They stood next to each other and waited until the ship left the hangar and went to lightspeed.

Piett put his hand on the General’s arm briefly before turning to glance up at his commander. 

So he had known Anakin was there. Well, Piett had always been very observant. 

The two of them made their way up to him and came to stand on either side, watching the activity of other families and children below. Piett rested his hands behind his back and Veers placed a hand on the railing. 

“It is very gratifying to see these reunions,” Anakin said after a moment. 

“Yes, my Lord,” his Admiral responded quietly. 

“The cost is….quite high of course,” Anakin continued. He was so very rubbish at this sort of conversation. But he wanted his men to understand that he knew….that he was so grateful for their sacrifice and that not just physically. He could feel the rawness of their emotions, which both of them were doing an admirable job keeping under control.

“Gentlemen…..I’m, well, I’m terrible with praise. You both know that.”

A quirk at the corner of Piett’s mouth. A knowing look from the General.

“But...what you both did…” He paused, looking for the words. “If those were my children you rescued there, I couldn’t be more indebted to you.”

Piett cleared his throat. “Thank you, my Lord. You set us on this path. It is a hard one, no denying that.”

He turned to meet Anakin’s eyes. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Besides,” he paused and smiled. “I am to stay in touch and visit if possible.”

“Yes, I wanted to ask you about the ‘Uncle Firmus’ comment I overheard,” Veers said, raising an eyebrow at his friend. 

Piett flushed slightly. “Mareet’s mother said that. I think I’ll encourage the children to continue with ‘Admiral’,” he replied. 

“And how did the little girl fare at leaving, General?” Anakin asked, looking at Veers.

Veers took a breath. “She ah, she spoke finally.”

The Admiral raised his eyebrows. “I’m glad to hear that. What did she say?”

And his General sounded a little bit hoarse as he responded. “I’ll miss you.”

Anakin watched the other children and parents being reunited today, and gave his General a moment, sensing Veers did not want to go further down this path. 

The three of them stood side by side, and Anakin glanced at his officers---Veers stood with his arms crossed, and a thoughtful expression. Piett was in his familiar stance, hands behind him and spine unbent. There was a time that both had been prepared to die at his hand. 

Now he deemed them friends. 

Anakin straightened a little more, and both his officers echoed him as he knew they would.

“I’m proud to work with you both,” he said simply.

**Author's Note:**

> For some of the characters in here, it may help to read the Fox and the Lady series Morwen and I have put together as I assume those events in the background of this story. :)


End file.
